Madam Pomfrey did not look happy to see Hermione. "Three students loose their memories in one night! All of them found outside in the morning! This isn't an infirmary issue… I haven't seen so much trouble since there were Dementors outside the walls. Honestly, do they think its just some fluke that three students—"

"Three?" Hermione finally caught on.

"Oh yes," continued Madam Pomfrey, pulling off Hermione's cloak absentmindedly as she continued complaining. "Longbottom and Finnigan missed Mr. Weasley this morning and went looking for him: found him outside the front entrance. Sick as a dog he is. Couldn't even keep the chocolate down. And then Lucius Malfoy comes storming into the staff meeting demanding to know where his son is." Hermione's breath faltered and the nurse felt for her pulse, never breaking her stream of words. "Apparently his tracking spell failed, although why he had one on his own son…" The nurse trailed off, huffing imperiously.

"Is Dr… Malfoy okay?"

"Oh fine, to be sure." Madam Pomfrey sniffed. "He threw up his chocolate too, but he seems calmer than Weasley, that's for sure. Now—" She handed Hermione the largest chunk of chocolate the girl had ever seen, even larger than after the Dementors almost Kissed Harry. "Eat up!"

Hermione nodded and forced a smile. She broke off a chunk and nibbled it. Suddenly, instead of the warmth she had expected, chills washed like waves over her. She felt so ill that she put a hand to her throbbing head before she fell to the floor.

Hermione woke up in a hospital bed just in time to hear Madam Pomfrey complain "all three of them, Headmaster. It just isn't right. I must insist that you call the League. There is no illness that could find three students, from two different houses, wipe their memories and carry them outside. And then the aversion to chocolate… It's just wrong, Headmaster. I've never seen anything like it, I swear—"

"Poppy, my dear," Dumbledore's voice cut off the nurse kindly. "I agree. Minerva, please send an owl to the League informing them of the situation." Hermione heard McGonagall turn and leave and closed her eyes as Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey's footsteps sounded closer.

"And Miss Granger is awake," Dumbledore raised his voice unnecessarily, but it gave Hermione time to sit up and stop pretending. "No doubt you've learned plenty already." The wizened old wizard poked his head around the curtain. "How do you feel, Miss Granger?"

"Somewhat better, Headmaster." Dumbledore smiled pleasantly and waited. Hermione grinned, feeling foolish that he could read her mind so easily. "I'm sorry, Professor Dumbledore, I couldn't help overhearing it. Which League were you referring to?" Madam Pomfrey began to stutter in the background.

Dumbledore raised a hand to silence her. "The League against the Dark Arts." Hermione's eyes widened, but Dumbledore covered her hand with his own. "Madam Pomfrey feels there is something in your sudden disease that may be… less than natural. Poppy has always been overprotective of the students, and precautions keep her happy. I wouldn't worry, Miss Granger."

"Headmaster, please. What do you think it is?"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, the normal twinkle in his eyes subtly veiled. "I think it is worth looking into."

Hermione nodded. "And the boys? Ron and Draco? Please, are they alright?"

"I would like them to be checked over but I will admit, you worry me most. You and Hagrid."

"Hagrid?" Hermione sat up straighter.

"He has disappeared, Miss Granger." Hermione sank back against her pillows, tears stirring. "I would not have told you if you couldn't cope." The Headmaster said firmly, looking deep into her eyes. "I need you to remember. More than that, I need you to be alert."

"Of course, Headmaster." Dumbledore nodded, standing up once more, and smiled down on Hermione.

Dumbledore wasn't present at the League's investigation the next day. She found herself standing alone, fiddling slightly nervously with the hem of her school skirt as she was asked again, what she remembered, what the chocolate had done, what she had felt since, and who she had spoken to the day before. Hermione answered their questions quietly, feeling very out of place, surrounded by the formality of these old bent wizards.

After their hundredth dry "I see" they frowned at each other solemnly and a few of the younger, though still very old, wizards poked the older ones who had dozed off. The oldest of all's eyes fluttered open and he squinted at Hermione. "Well, thank you for your cooperation, Miss Granger." Hermione smiled politely and nodded at the circle before opening the door to leave.

"Ooomph!" said the door. Hermione stifled a giggle and walked through, closing the door behind her.

"Can you hear much?" She asked a slightly flattened Ron.

"Some. The door muffles everything." He whispered back, looking at her anxiously.

"You're very pale." Hermione commented, realizing that Madam Pomfrey had not been exaggerating when she said he looked as sick as a dog.

Ron shrugged. "Almost as bad as the slugs. Can't you do anything about this?" He jerked his thumb towards the door.

"Larficaero!" A bubble appeared and Hermione put her head up to it, motioning for Ron to do the same. Suddenly they could hear every word. "Better?"

"Much!" Ron grinned at her, before they both turned their attention to the conversation within.

"The first boy, Lucius's son seemed well enough. The Weasley lad was obviously sick to his stomach and that last girl doesn't remember a goddamn thing half the time."

"That's hardly her fault, Godfrey. Dumbledore says she's a remarkable student."

"She's Harry Potter's girlfriend, isn't that right?" Hermione's face burned and she could hear Ron cover a laugh.

"No. Viktor Krum. You know, the Bulgarian Seeker from the World Cup back, oh about, two… three years ago?"

"Ah yes! The man who broke his nose! Bit old for her, isn't he?"

"Well, she's a pretty girl and he's an excellent Quidditch player. Seems a good enough relationship if it's lasted this long, eh Albie?"

The Gryffindors could hear a muffled cough from "Albie" and then a vacant "Yes, quite so, quite so."

"Could we get back to the point?" asked an impatient voice. Hermione nodded vehemently, even though they couldn't see her. "What do you think is wrong with them?"

"Well the girl probably just hexed Hagrid and then accidentally backfired something on herself. It's sad how many pretty girls do that. My friend on the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad, he says he sees more pretty girls than any other department. No wonder he never settled down."

One of the two witches cut in on the conspiratorial laughter. "She seems bright enough. There may be something quite wrong with her. And whatever Arthur's son's got we don't want it spread."

"But what do we do with them?" asked a rather cowed male voice.

"Well if we don't know what's wrong with them it's rather hard to decide what to do with them?"

"Did someone mention Krum?" asked a voice Hermione had previously identified as Albie.

"You're a little behind the times, Father."

"Who are you?" The ancient man asked suspiciously.

"I'm your son!" answered the reassuring voice.

"I don't have a son!" squeaked Albie.

"Oh never mind, go back to sleep. Now, about the students, I see an opportunity to deal with Malfoy here and now…"

"Deal with him?"

"Well he's a Death Eater for sure." Hermione stiffened. "A Slytherin here, went to Durmstrang and a Malfoy. What further proof do we need? I say send them home and let their parents look after them a while. At least Malfoy won't be learning anymore."

"Forget Lucius's boy a minute. Miss Granger is a Muggleborn. We can hardly explain everything to her parents!"

"Explain what? She's sick and she has to stay home for a week or two." Ron looped his arm around Hermione who looked devastated at the thought of being sent away from Hogwarts.

"Dark magic!" A voice objected angrily. "The Muggles wouldn't recognize it if it hit them on the nose! We can't risk something getting out of control!"

"But whatever Arthur's son's got could kill half the school?" Hermione pulled away slightly. "The child looks almost dead of it already."

"What about quarantine? Here? The Muggles won't know anything about it, so no explaining. The Weasley boy won't spread whatever's eating him and we can control what Lucius's brat learns."

Hermione opened her mouth indignantly but before she could get a word out Ron had clapped a hand over her lips. "Do you want them to know we're listening?" He whispered furiously.

"Mph! Mmmmphf! Mmmfin Murfph-mphs!"

Ron ignored her as he pulled her through a few archways into a nearby room, only releasing her to close the heavy oak door. The second it closed, Hermione almost screeched "Quarantine!" She threw up her hands exasperatedly. "I can't go into quarantine, my God. Those mangy gi—"

"Hermione!" Ron cut her off, pulling her to a stop as she strode towards the door, presumably to take on the entire League by herself. "They're just trying to look out for the rest of the school. And us!"

"Oh yes!" Hermione threw him off, pacing furiously. "Limiting what we learn so Draco doesn't learn anything is really looking out for us! I'll fail my exams! I won't learn the theory of apparition! I won't—"

"Stop it!" Ron shook her shoulders slightly. "Remember back in second year when you turned yourself into a cat? You didn't fall behind and you were in here for weeks."

"Exams were cancelled!"

"It's rather pathetic that all you're worried about is homework. I'd be more worried about catching what Weasley's got" drawled a voice from the corner.

"Draco!" Hermione ran to him.

Draco looked stunned. However angry, Hermione had been with him, she couldn't believe that he'd look as though he never expected her to forgive him. His expression was so different that she actually stopped a few feet from him. "What's wrong with you?" She asked.

"Nothing, why?" His tone was so derisive that Hermione backed up a few steps.

"I don't know… There's something very odd… you're acting funny."

"Me?" Draco actually looked panicked.

"Yeah." Even Ron agreed.

"Its probably just the spell or whatever we got." Draco answered glibly. "An aftereffect. Don't worry about it." The boy walked up and cautiously took Hermione's hands.

She smiled and squeezed them before turning back to Ron, hugging him. "I'm so glad we're all safe!" In Ron's ear she whispered, "There's something wrong with Draco. Very wrong."

Ron hugged her a little tighter. When he released her, Hermione forced herself to reach out to Draco. He took her hand and his touch chilled her. She looked into his eyes and found none of that icy hot love that thrilled her. At that moment Hermione decided that perhaps there was one advantage to quarantine: she could keep a closer eye on Draco. He seemed to need it.

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