Disclaimer: See Chapter I

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I hope you all like this new chapter. Don't forget to say so, if you do!

Grey

Chapter II

Professor Snape seemed to be a bit surprised too, as his eyes widened. However, he had quickly composed himself and gave Hermione somewhat of a sneer.

"Sit down please, Miss Granger and tell us what you remember." The disdain in the Potion Master's voice clearly told her what he thought of her involvement in this attack; another show of Gryffindor bravery.

"Yes, I would really much appreciate knowing what exactly happened to my son. Even the smallest detail." His tone of voice was demanding and the expression on his face almost frightened her in it's intensity. Fury was boiling beneath the calm exterior, and the worry and terrified shock buried deep down underneath the feeling of rage. Mr. Malfoy didn't show any weakness.

"Please sit down, Miss Granger and make yourself comfortable," the Headmaster patted on the bed next to that of Draco's.

Hermione settled herself down again, and took in the looming figure of Professor Snape, the calming presence of Dumbledore and the imposing control that Lucius Malfoy kept on his emotions. Still, his gaze kept drifting to his son.

So how does it feel? How does it feel to have somebody you care for hurt, possibly dying? How does it feel to be powerless to help your loved one? How does it feel? Yes, she had felt the need, no the urge to help Draco. Though he was a right bully and had done many petty, cruel things, the terror on his face... Nobody deserved that.

But to see his father go through the pain and grief and anger caused by this attempt on his son's life made her feel somewhat of a bitter satisfaction. After all, how many times hadn't he caused that same mix of painful emotions on his victims and their families?

It's what he deserves! Screamed a part of her mind, while another part of her knew she would never wish this kind of torment on somebody else.

Though the thought of Harry who still couldn't really deal with Sirius death, who still woke up screaming and crying in the night incensed the part of her who delighted in the man's misery.

Does that make me a bad person?

She was roused out of her thoughts by an impatient cough of Professor Snape.

"S-Sorry. Well, I... I saw something odd... The wall of the room I was in suddenly turned... On it appeared a rather strange greenish spot, I-"

"Where were you? What were you doing there? Which wall?" Lucius Malfoy interrupted her, sneering at her stumbling with words.

Hermione took a deep breath and started all over.

"Today was the Hogsmeade weekend, and I...

Hermione struggled through the throngs of students, grumbling. Why did every student have some kind of growing spurt except Hermione? How was she to spot her friends when she couldn't see anything?! Where should she start looking for them? Ron, Harry, Ginny, Neville and the others had gone without her, as she insisted at finishing her assignment for Potions first, which was now finished . Now, here she was, alone, without a clue as to which shop her friends had gone to first.

She sighed as an enthusiastic fourth year pushed her aside while hollering for his friends, which stood only about a couple of feet away from him.

Maybe she should first deal with the things she had wanted to do today before she went looking all over for them. And hadn't she wanted to deal with this business alone, without being bothered by her friends? After all, she wanted to keep it a secret for now.

Mind made up, she made her way over to the Three Broomsticks. Entering it, she quickly spied for her friends. Good; they weren't here.

Avoiding students and their bottles of butterbeer, she walked over to Madam Rosmerta, who gave her a welcoming smile.

"Well, hello, Miss Granger! How have you been lately? Are you looking for your friends? I haven't seen them in here yet."

"No, I'm not looking for my friends right now... I was wondering if I could use a room for perhaps half an hour? I need to speak with my mom by using the Floo... I-"

"Of course! Here," Madam Rosmerta gestured to the stairs. "Go to room Twelve; it's empty. Floo powder is next to the fireplace. You know, you're not the only student wishing to talk to their family face to face, so to speak. Some things, you just can't tell, or ask, in a letter!" Rosmerta gave her a mischievous grin, causing Hermione to blush and sputter. What did Madam Rosmerta actually think she wanted to talk about?!

"Now, go on! Shoo!" She chuckled as Hermione hurried up the stairs, still with quite red cheeks.

Almost out of breath due to storming up the stairs in a huff, Hermione threw some Floo powder in the fire and stuck her head in.

"Mom, are you there?"

"Mom?!"

No answer. Had her Mom forgotten about their little meeting? Hermione frowned dejectedly and called out once more: "Mom?"

Still nothing. She listened silently for a minute or so, but she didn't hear a sound. Apparently, nobody was home.

Hermione let out a deep sigh. She knew her parents were busy with their dental practice; her mother had much on her mind and on occasion she forgot about things.

Well, she had to settled her things by letter then, though it would take far more trouble that way. Hermione frowned, displeased with the turn of events.

She pulled her head out of the fire, and put the Floo powder back where it belonged. She had just picked up her bag when she noticed something out of her peripheral vision; did the wall just... vibrated?

Indeed it did, and the wood gave a soft groan of protest.

Odd. What were people doing in there?

She blushed at her own silly thoughts. That was just... ick.

All her embarrassed thoughts disappeared however as there became a stain visible on the wall; a stain that was rapidly growing larger and had a darkish green colour to it.

Indeed; what were they doing in there?

She didn't hear a thing but...

It wasn't any of her business, but she felt... Strangely uncomfortable, uneasy. A bad feeling, but there was no reason for that... Was there?

If she had learned one thing over the years it was to trust her instincts, or her gut, as Ron put it. Most of the times it had helped her. But just as many times, people had told her to mind her own business...

Was it her business to go and ask the people in the room next to hers what they were doing?

She was in doubt now, as she moved to the door and stepped out in the softly illuminated hallway. She took a few hesitant steps towards the door of the room next to hers. As she stood before it she bit her lip; should she knock? Did she dare? What would she say when the person occupying the room actually opened the door? She felt foolish.

But as she was about to walk down the hallway to the stairs, the door shuddered, and there was a very faint thud.

Something just told her that right there in the room something bad was happening. She couldn't explain it, but a strong feeling of dread settled in her stomach.

Should she call a teacher? Would they even listen to her? They would dismiss her story as nonsense... it was! But still...

Could it hurt to just knock and ask? She would look stupid but at least she would have eased that uncomfortable feeling.

Mind made up, she knocked softly on the door. Maybe not so smart after all, she thought, now I alarmed them of my presence and I-

Her thoughts were interrupted by another faint thud against a wall.

Probably a silencing spell, but not such a good one after all, as I can hear the walls... Maybe it isn't so much connected to the walls, only to the person and the sounds inside the room? I have to ask that later! Later! She tried to focus her mind on the room itself, not on theories about Silencing spells!

She had received no answer to her knocking and now she was even more in doubt to what to do.

"Miss? Sir?" She asked, lifting her voice a little it would carry through the door. "Is everything all right in there?

She waited but there was no answer. What now?

Did she dare? She tried the door handle.

Locked, of course... She raised her wand, trying not to think about what she was doing; breaking into a room, invading someone's privacy... Where had her level-headedness and reason gone to?!

A simple Alohomora didn't work. She frowned and then she started to fire every unlocking charm she knew on the door, somehow feeling an urgency to unlock the door and uncover whatever was happening...

Suddenly, the door flew open.

The scene in the room shocked her.

What was happening inside paralysed her.

But the complete and utter terror and... betrayal? She read on the victim's face spurred her into action;

Her schoolmate, Draco Malfoy, was being attacked, by a... Death Eater.

It wore the mask and robes of Hermione's most vivid nightmares. In a high, insane voice it screamed curses and hexes, aimed towards the defenceless Draco. Where was his wand?

Though Draco avoided most of the curses, he seemed a bit... off, like he was hit by a bludger to the head and wasn't yet over the dizziness and confusion. Had he been hit by curses already? Stupid question, as his robes were burned and bloody at some spots. He limped with his left leg, and his face had a slightly yellow colour.

The way he moved was merely automatic. It was obviously a game for the Deatheater; it was toying with the boy as it was apparent that Draco didn't put that much effort in staying alive and getting away. Why? He really was out of it, as he stumbled and slumped down, before the hearth, reaching out to the fire, trying to say something but couldn't...

Only then saw Hermione some face in the fire, but before she could get a glance at any facial features, the face had disappeared, leaving Draco gurgling, a sound that sounded almost desperate to her ears.

What the hell was going on?

Why was Draco, son of a Deatheater, attacked by one?!

But she forgot about the years he had bullied her, called her names and worse. The twisted face with it's raw emotions got her out of her stupor and just as the Deatheater cursed him, she yelled a charm for a protective shield, making the spell bounce off it.

It seemed that only then the two became aware of the open door and the person standing in the doorway.

"You!" The Deatheater yelled. The voice, high and harsh, it was all too familiar to her!

But she refused to cower as the mad Deatheater raised its wand. Hermione ducked just in time, and scrambled away, towards Draco, who was lying on the floor in front of the hearth, face down.

"Now look what has fallen into my lap... The little Mudblood friend of bloody Potter... Splendid!" A mad cackle and a shouted curse.

A quick "Protego" shielded both Hermione and Draco. However, she had to go on the offence if she wanted to get out of this.

"Draco!" She shook his shoulder with one hand, while she trained her wand on the Deatheater with another, yelling the first curse coming to mind: "Stupefy!!"

The Deatheater avoided it, but barely.

"You're trying to save him? How very noble of you! It's no use! Even if you can get him out of here... It's too late! He isn't as tough as he likes to believe! Can't take much, that boy! A shame to his family!"

What was this all about?

"No matter, I'll finish you both off!"

A strange curse was shouted and it went straight to her and Draco; though she warded it off, it still grazed her side, leaving a nasty tingling sensation.

She wasn't fast enough however, to protect Draco entirely from a second curse shrieked by the Deatheater; it grazed him against his head, making it lift up and smack back into the floor with a sickening thump.

"Stupefy!!" Was Hermione desperate attempt and this time, it struck true and the Deatheater fell to the floor, though it tried to shake off the hex.

It gave Hermione enough time though to check up on Draco, who was thankfully still breathing. He was bleeding from his head now, and she wracked her brains for healing spells that were usually used for head trauma. But before she had time to use any spell, she was once more forced to focus her attention on the now furious Deatheater.

A shriek full of anger, hate and malice escaped it and it charged, madness glimmering in the eyes.

But before it had any chance to attack, it was hit in the back by a strong curse, uttered by no other than the Headmaster himself.

A twisted snarl escaped the Death Eater, but it refrained just a second from action, obviously torn between the want to attack the newcomer and taking care of the business it came for.

Though it didn't get the chance to choose as other teachers appeared and with a suppressed yell of rage, it took the few steps to the fire and disappeared.

Then, she was swept up in the frantic activity around her, people trying to save Draco, whose injuries were far more worse than she had thought, and she trying to explain, several times, what happened.

"That's about it..." She trailed off.

"You said you saw a face in the fire." Lucius Malfoy's voice was hard and a strange light glittered in his eyes. His face was set in hard lines and his grip on his cane was so tight, his knuckles were white.

"I-I do believe I saw a face, though it was gone too soon to give you any details but for the fact that I did saw it..." She finished, uncertainly.

"I'll take your word for it, Miss Granger," Lucius Malfoy said calmly, but still there simmered something in his voice; violence barely restrained. She started to feel increasingly uncomfortable. This man brought back too many horrifying memories.

"You said that the Death Eater was... Bellatrix Lestrange?" Asked Professor Snape, voice hard.

"Yes... Of course, I didn't see her face, but her voice; I recognised her voice," she tried to explain.

"Don't worry, Miss Granger, we believe you. Did she mentioned anything else than you just told us?"

"No Headmaster, nothing. Nothing about why she attacked Draco or what it's purpose was... She seemed to enjoy however what she was doing... even though Draco is her own nephew!" And he was a perfect pureblood, son of a Deatheater, not a cousin who had a fall-out with his family and betrayed everything they stood for, like Sirius!

"Yes, indeed. The woman is insane." Was the quick, chillingly calm response of Mr. Malfoy.

"Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore began, "do you perhaps know with whom Draco had a meeting and why?"

"No, I didn't know anything about a meeting." Was Lucius Malfoy's short reply.

"Ah, well, neither does Professor Snape or I. We will ask his friends and housemates tomorrow if they knew anything. I will keep you personally informed." The Headmaster's words were laced with a sincere sympathy as he too had noticed the concern and worries of the father.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Lucius Malfoy gave a curt nod, then said his goodbyes. All those present saw the raw emotion flash across his face and in his eyes as he silently regarded the still form of his son, before he almost stalked out of the infirmary.

"Now, Miss Granger, off to bed with you. You can't tell me that the events of this day hasn't had left their mark on you. Goodnight, Miss Granger."

As she walked down the hallways, yawning, her mind was already trying to deal with all the events of the day, trying to make sense of it all; Draco being attacked by his aunt, his father who actually cared quite a lot for the boy... Not to mention the terrible fury being hidden by Lucius Malfoy; she could understand his anger, but... I t seemed more than the normal want for revenge and justice.

She shook her head, willing herself to forget such ridiculous notions; Mister Malfoy was almost perfect in his manipulating of people and their emotions. Maybe he was merely trying to manipulate her and her professors?

She wondered about those questions as she entered the Gryffindor tower, saying the password and stepping into the common room, where several people were waiting for her.

Great. Another inquisition.