After weeks of huddling in the dimmest corner of the softly lit Gryffindor Common room, Hermione began to feel like a victim of cabin fever. At least Ron, who was more faithful than ever, had Quidditch practice to let off steam. He sat with her, every night, working on his homework and thinking up jokes to amuse her but it didn't change the fact that she had the overwhelming urge to run ten miles or hit someone. She didn't particularly mind which. By the end of the second week even Ron's supply of jokes was wearing thin and Hermione decided she had had enough.
"Ron, can you walk down to Hagrid's with me?" Hermione asked. Ron looked up, surprised. For the past eight days his friend had hardly said anything and only in answer to a direct question.
"Sure!" Ron tossed his books aside, earning him raised eyebrows from the one-time homework enforcer. However Hermione flicked her wand a few times and his books flew up to his room, hers to hers. For a second she felt a twinge of regret, remembering how much Summoning and Banishing she had done in order to meet up with Draco. Honesty was far easier, she decided, but mastery of those two charms was certainly helpful.
Hermione pulled her cape from the back of her chair and Ron helped her wrap it around herself. His fingers lingered slightly on her bare neck but the touch was so brief that a second's glance was all she needed to confirm that it was simply an accident.
Together the two walked out of the portrait hole, down the stairs, through a half dozen archways and then they were outside. Hermione inhaled deeply and sighed happily, earning herself an odd look from Ron. He had no idea how brilliant it was to be outside for the first time in nine days. Deep snowfalls had cancelled Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology and now Hermione wondered if her headache might have been partially from the stuffiness of the castle in the winter. At any rate, her heart seemed lighter for a bit of crisp air.
Ron helped her across the snow drifts and they walked up to Hagrid's door together and Ron knocked on the heavy wood, smiling at the snowflakes that had come to rest in Hermione's hair. His smile disappeared when Draco answered the door.
"Hermione!" The Slytherin breathed her name, stepping forward and reaching out to her. She stepped back into Ron. Draco checked himself immediately. "Can we talk?" He asked, carefully maintaining his distance. Ron wrapped a protective arm around Hermione and pulled his wand from his pocket.
But Hermione, over her initial shock at seeing Draco so close, pulled away from Ron. "I'm perfectly able to take care of myself." She pushed his wand down, ignoring his skeptical snort. "Is Hagrid here?" Hermione shot Draco a meaningful glance.
"Yes." He answered quickly. "He's just inside. He can look after Hermione if that's what you're worried about Weasley. Although she's pretty good at looking after herself."
"Apparently not, Malfoy. She believed you." Ron didn't ease his grip on his wand.
"Weasley walk out of here before you start burping slugs again." Draco's wand jumped to his hand.
"You just watch it or you'll be burping up worse. And stay the hell away from Hermione." Ron stepped forward.
Hermione jumped between them, laying a hand on each of their chests, holding them apart. "Both of you stop it. And stop talking about me like I'm not here. I'm perfectly able to take care of myself, by myself. Now, Ron, you go back to the dorm. Draco, go… wherever you Slytherins go. And I am going to go see Hagrid. Alright?" Hermione began to walk through the door but halted as Draco stepped aside to let her pass, moving onto the top step with Ron. "If either one of you so much as touches the other one… wand or fist, I'll tell McGonagall myself!" With that, Hermione stomped inside and waited for Draco to walk towards the castle, loop back behind the trees and come in the back door.
Sooner than she expected the door creaked open and Hermione whirled round, expecting to see a slightly panting Draco, out of breath from running to her. Instead she blinked and tried to see into the stranger's hood. "Excuse me? Are you a friend of Hagrids?"
The cloaked figure only looked up and smiled. Something about that smile was disconcerting. "You must be Miss Granger." Hermione could have sworn there was an extra "s" on that "miss." The stranger's voice was hiss-like and rather icy.
Hermione smiled and raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, Hermione Granger." The man nodded and Hermione found herself wishing that Draco would hurry up and get here. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name…?"
"I didn't give it." Hermione stepped backwards and bumped into Hagrid's table. The voice continued, "You're more skittish than I would have thought, considering you dared to walk in Penelope's Garden."
Hermione edged around the table. The robed stranger just stood, head cocked, watching her. His thin lips, just visible under his hood, were curved into a grim smile. "How do you know about the Garden?"
"I have every right to know about it. The more interesting question is, how did a Gryffindor girl find out?" The smile widened. "Unfortunately for young Malfoy, there are ways of telling the strength of love in that Garden. Only for a Slytherin adept of course. Which, unfortunamely, I am."
"Who are you?" Hermione now felt the wall of the cabin against her back.
"I don't think that you would care to know, Miss Granger, even if I would tell you. Now… Imperio!"
The curse struck Hermione hard. It had been two years since Moody's—well, Barty Crouch pretending to be Moody's—class. Two years since she'd fought her own mind. The icy voice cut into her thoughts, "Don't be stupid. I told Crouch to teach you that. I wouldn't use it that way against you know. But I have other ways of using this spell. Now… tell me about your relationship with Harry Potter."
In her last free breath Hermione managed one word, "Voldemort." The thin smile only widened.
.
"Hermione? Hermione?" Someone was shaking her shoulder. The girl blinked rapidly and saw Professor Psyche leaning over her.
"Professor?"
Psyche smiles in relief, leaning back on her heels as she helped Hermione sit up. "What are you doing here?" Hermione blinked lethargically around at the middle of the castle green. "Hermione, did you go somewhere last night."
"No. At least, I don't think so, Professor. Its all a little hazy for some reason." Hermione looked over at her teacher to find the young woman trying to conceal a rapidly growing concern. "What time is it?"
"Eight." The professor answered absently. "My morning stroll… Have you been out here all night?"
"I might have." Hermione tried to think through the thick fog clouding her mind.
Professor Psyche muttered something under her breath. "Hermione, can you stand?" Even with the Professor's aid, Hermione collapsed back down onto the grass. "Lie down, Hermione." Psyche waves her wand and whispered an incantation. Dumbledore appeared on the grass beside them.
"Eleanor, what is...?"
"Father—don't worry, Hermione knows already—I was walking this morning when I found Miss Granger out here. She's almost no memory of last night."
Dumbledore's eyes flicked down to where Hermione lay on the grass. "How peculiar." He smiled at her, pulling three lemon drops out of his robes and passing them around. "Not something most people experience, Miss Granger, but not to worry I'm sure. Perhaps Poppy should have a quick look and then I would recommend the day off. Considering your admirable attendance record, I wouldn't worry." Hermione, sucking on the sweet, smiled back at him feeling the sudden surge of fear quelled comfortingly.
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Sorry about the delay in updating, but I will definitely have another chapter up, maybe even tonight…
Oh for those who asked about Hermione and Draco's fight after the Yule Ball... Basically she just got spooked about going too fast and she thought that, since they were alone on a bed, something might happen. Basically the irrational bookworm coming through!