CHAPTER 42: Slytherin Cunning

When Harry apparated back to his dormitory it was very late and everyone was asleep. He, however, couldn't seem to keep his eyes closed. He grabbed his invisibility cloak and Marauder's map out of his trunk and set off towards the portrait hole. Just as he was about to push it open and throw on his cloak he heard a voice hiss from behind him.

"Harry James Potter where do you think you're going?"

"I couldn't sleep so I was going for a walk. Would you like to join me Mione?" Hermione seemed caught off guard by the invitation but quickly recovered.

"You're gone for almost two days without so much as a note?" Harry almost laughed at the way she was trying to yell at him without raising her voice and waking up the entire tower.

"You knew where I was going. We discussed it, remember?"

"I didn't know you were going to be gone that long, though! I thought something had happened to you!" Hermione bit her lip as she stopped talking and Harry realized she was fighting back tears. He dropped his map and invisibility cloak on the couch and walked over to her. She was sitting in a chair by the fireplace with her head buried in her hands. Harry took one of her hands gently in his and pulled her into a hug. It didn't take much of a pull to get her there.

"I'm sorry, Mione. I swear I won't do anything like that again." He put his hand on the back of her neck as she hugged him tightly. After a few minutes Harry broke the silence. "So how about that walk?" Hermione pulled away from him and looked straight into his eyes considering the offer.

"I'd like that. But you don't need the cloak, I'm a prefect." Harry's jaw dropped.

"Are you abusing the power of your position?" He asked incredulously.

"Maybe…" She smiled sheepishly. Harry wiped an invisible tear from his face, causing Hermione to laugh and slap him playfully on the arm.

The two set out for their walk around Hogwarts. Harry showed her all of the secret passageways into and out of the castle. Everytime he pointed one out a cross of intrigue and foreboding crossed her face. Harry was able to fight back the laughter for the first time but couldn't help himself at the second passageway. He broke down laughing, earning himself another punch in the arm.

Harry suggested that they o outside and walk around the grounds and the lake, but Hermione refused saying it was much too dangerous. Harry knew she was exaggerating the risk but didn't argue. He would never win an argument with a girl, especially not Hermione. When they returned to the common room they took a seat in front of the fireplace.

"You aren't a very good prefect, you know." Harry said as she curled up on the couch next to him and used his shoulder as a pillow.

"What makes you say that?"

"You missed three snogging sessions while we were out there." Even though the couples had tried to be quiet Harry's training helped him pick out the sounds coming from the various broom closets.

"Four actually. You must have missed the one when you tripped over your own two feet."

"I tripped over your feet!" Hermione shrugged.

"Same difference, you know I had to get you back for all those wisecracks you were making." Harry just shook his head. Hermione may not have received special training but apparently she was very good at catching couples in the middle of the night.

The next morning Harry awoke in his own bed. He didn't remember getting off the couch but didn't think about it too much. When he walked down the common room was empty. The last day before the start of term was always a quiet one. Students spent the day catching up on all the work they should have been doing the previous week. Harry sat down at a corner table and took out his Potions homework. Write a two foot long essay on all possible side effects of an improperly brewed blood replenishing potion.

Harry already knew most of the common mistakes that wizards or witches made when brewing a blood replenishing potion and the effects they caused, but trying to figure out all of the possibilities was going to be almost impossible. Luckily he had already finished his Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms homework. After his conversation with Ollivander he found that it only took him 15 minutes to write the foot long essay on the reasons most wizards used a wand for Defense class. He was also ahead of most of the class in charms work and hadn't had much trouble writing the essay on the theory behind the augmentation charms.

It took him nearly three hours to research everything he needed for his potions essay, but he was sure that it would receive a high mark. Only the old Snape could possibly fail him on this one. That left his transfiguration homework. Harry stopped, did he even have transfiguration class anymore? With everything that had been happening he had barely thought about Professor McGonagall. She had been killed by Ginny-no that wasn't right. She had been killed by Voldemort, struck by a stray spell that had been intended for Harry. He decided to do the essay anyway, but found that he couldn't concentrate. He looked at the clock and realized that it was already past noon. He went down to the great hall for lunch, needing something after he realized that he had skipped breakfast.

The Great Hall was almost empty. Harry grabbed a seat next to Seamus and Dean and ate quickly. The only time they spoke was to ask for someone to pass more food. None of them minded the quiet though; they all had other things on their mind.

After lunch Harry made his way up to the hospital wing to check on Neville. Hermione had told him that Augustus Pye had stitched him up, but Madame Pomfrey didn't trust the muggle healing methods and wasn't dismissing him until she was sure. When he opened the door Madame Pomfrey waas nowhere to be seen and Neville was doing homework in his bed.

"You're in my bed, Neville." Harry said jokingly, Neville looked up and smiled.

"Who would have thought that you'd be checking up on someone while they were in here?" Harry laughed. It was a running joke that he had accumulated enough time in the hospital wing to be a qualified healer.

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked seriously.

"Better. I'm not bleeding anymore which is nice. Madame Pomfrey has been researching non stop to find a counter to that curse, but the stitches are holding nicely for the time being." Harry saw for the first time that the stitches had left a nasty looking scar above Neville's eye. He didn't look nearly as bad as Moody, but the scar gave him an intimidating look. Harry sensed that Neville wasn't to upset by it.

"Mr. Potter, do you think you could reach Miss Granger for me? Madam Pince and I have had trouble researching this curse and we were hoping she could help. Madam Pince actually told me that Miss Granger may have a more in depth knowledge of the Hogwarts library than she does." Harry hadn't seen Madame Pomfrey come out of her office but he was glad she wasn't scolding him for interrupting her patient's rest.

"No problem, I'm sure she'd be happy to help. I also have a few books of my own I'll have her check out, if that's ok?" Madame Pomfrey agreed and went back into her office.

"I better get going, I'll se you later, Neville."

"Bye Harry." He responded absently, Neville had gone back to his homework.

When Harry returned to the Gryffindor common room he found Hermione and told her about Madame Pomfrey's request. The girl beamed at the compliment and only got happier when harry told her he had a shelf of books that couldn't be found in the Hogwarts Library. She hugged him and ran off towards his trunk.

"These are the books that I haven't gotten through yet." He said, handing her a stack of five books. "I've finished the other ones and I know the curse wasn't in any of them. You can borrow them after you've cured Neville." Hermione agreed but Harry got the distinct feeling that she hadn't even heard him. She was already thumbing through the top book on the pile.

Harry returned to his quiet corner table and started his transfiguration homework. It took him a long time to finish, not because it was difficult but because He kept on seeing Professor McGonagall getting struck by the killing curse when he tried to write. Harry looked out the window when he finished and realized that it was dark out. He put his stuff away and made his way back to the Great Hall for dinner.

After eating very quickly Harry returned to Gryffindor tower. He walked into his dormitory and found Hermione sitting on his bed fiddling with his trunk. When she saw him standing there she nearly jumped.

"I'm sorry, I finished the first book and I just wanted to put it back. I hate leaving books lying around." Harry laughed and sat down next to her.

"Why am I not surprised?" She pushed him and he fell backwards so he was now lying on the bed with his legs hanging off the end. She lay down next to him and laid her hand gently on his chest.

"Do you think we're going to suvive this war?" She asked quietly with her eyes closed.

"Yes. You know I won't let anything happen to you Mione." He put his arm around her and pulled her in closer so her head was now resting on his chest next to her hand. He could feel her breathing even out and knew that she had fallen asleep. Just then Harry heard footsteps coming up to the dormitory. He pulled out his wand and magicked the curtains closed. He knew Ron had just entered and he had no desire to see him. After a few minutes Harry drifted off to sleep as well.

In the middle of the night Harry woke up feeling Hermione shivering next to him. The covers were on he and the fire was going, but it felt as if the whole dormitory was freexing. Harry saw a thick black blanket sitting on the trunk and went to get it. As Harry got up Hermione woke up.

"Why is it so cold?" She asked sleepily.

"I'm not sure. The House elves must have left this blanket for us." Harry lay the blanket on top of Hermione and she smiled cuddled up against him and went back to sleep. Harry stayed awake for a few more minutes just watching Hermione sleep before he began to drift off to sleep himself. Just as his eyes closed, however, he heard a muffled cry coming from beside him. His eyes shot open and he was wide awake. He looked at Hermione, who was being suffocated by the blanket. With a pang of horror Harry realized that it wasn't a blanket, it was a lethifold.

Harry shot his wand out into his hand and cast his patronus at the dark creature. He vaguely remembered his third year when Remus told them that a patronus was the only known spell that could drive off a Lethifold. When Harry cast his patronus it was the same that had appeared to destroy the dementor that was threatening Parvati during the dueling tournament. It was a gold beam with the head of a stag. It struck the lethifold and destroyed it with a loud bang and bright light. Harry was disoriented for a few seconds but quickly recovered and flung open the curtains. Harry ran to the nearest bed and flung open the curtains. Seamus Finnigan was struggling against a lethifold as well. Harry repeated the spell and moved on. He was soon joined by Ron who explained that he had woken up from a bad dream just as the lethifold went to attack. He had been lucky. Harry and the others made their way to the other boy's dormitory when he thought of Hermione. He grabbed her and ran off towards the girl's dormitory. He got up the stairs ahead of her and threw open the door. He was met by a gush of warm air and a scream.

"What are you doing in here?" Parvati yelled.

"Is there a black blanket at the foot of your bed?" Harry asked, ignoring her question.

"No! I don't know what you're talking about but-" Harry had already run out of the girls dormitory and into the boy's wing. He took off down the hall to the last room, the first year's room. When he entered he heard muffled shouts and ran to the first bed. Harry made his way to bed after bed destroying all of the dark creatures. When he ran to the last bed and threw the curtains open he didn't hear any muffled screams. He destroyed the Lethifold but instead of it exploding with a bright light the pieces formed a skull with a snake as a tongue, the Dark mark. A high pitched, cold laugh echoed through the dormitory.

Just then the door opened and Dumbledore ran in. He brushed past Harry and knelt down beside the boy. He lifted two fingers to the first year's neck and waited. After a few seconds his head drooped and he looked at Harry. Harry knew that the young boy was dead.

"Everybody go back to your rooms." Harry said quietly, nobody responded. "NOW!" The Gryffindors were startled into action. After a few minutes it was just Harry, Dumbledore, Hermione, Ron, and the other first years. Harry turned to the younger children. "Go down to the common room, I'll come and get you in a few minutes, ok?" He said in a soothing voice. The six boys nodded and made their way out. Another silence fell between the group.

"How could this have happened?" Hermione asked, sobbing.

"It means that we didn't get everybody. Voldemort still has someone at Hogwarts."

"I'll bet it was those Slytherins you took too! I told you they were no good, but you had to let them in, didn't you!"

"Shut up, Ron." Harry responded in an exasperated voice.

"NO! This is all your fault! You were so damned trusting and now that boy is dead because of it!" Hermione looked as if she were about to kill him so Harry put a comforting hand on the small of her back.

"You're wrong, but before you start blabbering again I'll tell you why. Do you think the Slytherins could have delivered Lethifolds and distributed it to each bed?"

"There are ways that they could have done it!" Ron insisted, Harry shook his head.

"Do you think they also could have done this?" Harry separated from Hermione and walked over to the common room fire. Hermione started to interrupt but he thrust his hand into it. "Flame freezing charm. I couldn't figure out why it was so cold, now I know. Someone cast a flame freezing charm on the fire places and left the Lethifolds as extra blankets. The spy has to be someone in Gryffindor."

"Maybe it was a girl! You said no girls were attacked!" Ron interjected.

"I don't think so. Aside from parvati everyone was asleep. I think it was a guy, the only reason the girls weren't attacked was because he couldn't get up the stairs without setting off the alarm."

"Parvati was awake? It was definitely her!" Ron ran out of the room, Harry at his heel chasing after him.

"Ron! It waasn't her!" But it was too late. Ron had ran into the Common room where the first years were being taken care of by several older girls, including Parvati.

"You bitch! You killed him didn't you!" Ron yelled. It was more of an accusation than a question. Parvati was so startled she couldn't even answer.

"Ron, I told you it wasn't her." Ron ignored him though and lunged at her. Harry used his quidditch reflexes and grabbed the back of his shirt as his feet left the ground. Ron stopped mid flight and fell to the ground. The red head got up and reared on Harry. He drew his right hand back but before he could throw a punch Harry had lashed his foot out and delivered a kick to the inside of Ron's knee. He fell to his knees but wasn't giving up. He shoved Harry away from him and tried to get back up.

"Stupefy!" Dumbledore said, the red beam struck Ron in the chest and he collapsed in a heap. Harry also had his wand drawn and thought it lucky that Dumbledore had intervened. If he had gotten his spell off it wouldn't have been quite so forgiving.

"I was waiting for something like this to happen…Professor Trelawney told me to beware a red-headed man!" Parvati was sitting on the floor with her knees drawn to her chest. She was rocking back and forth and sobbing.

"I think we found our traitor." Harry said after a moment's consideration.

"I'm afraid I must agree." Dumbledore said quietly.

"I thought it was a bit odd that he wasn't attacked. He said that he just happened to wake up in time and drive it away with a patronus. I can't believe I bought it for a second."

"But you have no proof!" Hermione interrupted. She didn't seem particularly convinced by her argument though.

"Yes I do. I never mentioned the fact that the girls were never attacked. He must have known before hand. That can only mean he knew there were no Lethifolds planted in there." Hermione broke down crying. Harry absent mindedly put his arms around her and drew her into a hug. "There's something wrong though."

"I know what you mean, Harry. What are you thinking?" The Headmaster asked. Harry let go of Hermione and put her behind him. He raised his wand and said Ennervate.

"You were lucky Dumbledore was here for you, Potter." He spat. Harry wasn't listening to his words, however, he was more interested in his look.

"Professor, look at his eyes." Harry said quietly.

"The imperius curse?" Harry nodded. "But who? I doubt Ron could get mad enough at you to walk straight into Voldemort's lair."

"No, but he could meet with someone who's been against me the whole time." Hermione looked up.

"You don't mean-" Harry nodded..

"Percy."