Guilt and Innocence
Ron watched as everyone found somewhere to sit and then he stood next to the Prisoner. A strange sensation was running through his blood, this was the first time in five years the pair were untied on something and it had to be based around Voldemort and Hermione, some things it seemed would never change.
"There's a traitor among you."
Ron looked at the prisoner and slapped himself in the forehead before meeting the eyes of those surrounding him.
"I wasn't going to put it that way just yet but it's true. The prisoner here didn't hurt Hermione it was someone else. Potter tell them what you told Hermione yesterday."
Ron situated himself on the desk leaving the messy haired man to stand and explain this.
"When Hermione came to me in Azkaban she was civil to me even calling me by my name. Because she gave me so much respect I gave her a warning. You see my scar still allows me to see what he's up to. Well he met with somebody the night before and discussed the final battle, its going to occur tomorrow."
"You're lying!"
"Thomas I am not lying, he's going to attack Hogwarts tomorrow. But that isn't the worse part. He told this to somebody who is a member of the Order. I told Hermione that they had a plan to murder her last night and frame me for it."
"Wait there really is a traitor."
Ron nodded at George's words at the same moment as the Prisoner but then he spoke up pulling the list off the desk with him.
"Whoever the traitor is told Voldemort that Hermione had convinced too many people to vote yes while they had tried to sway the vote to no. We don't know who the traitor is but we are sure that it is somebody that voted no."
"That's why you didn't want them to know about the meeting."
"Yes George, we can't know who it is. There's more to this story though Potter, tell them about the dagger."
The prisoner ran his hand through his hair before looking up once more.
"Voldemort gave the traitor a dagger to stab Hermione with. He said that it would be the best way to frame me since I don't have a wand."
"There wasn't a stab wound though. I checked her out last night and I swear there wasn't one."
"Luna we believe you. Remus you said that Hermione was a tier above the stairs you found her on didn't you."
The older man nodded and the Prisoner looked at Ron something again sparkling in his eyes.
"Look I know you don't trust me and I don't trust you but Weasley and I have a theory. Weasley."
Ron gulped and run his own fingers through his hair.
"Potter had already told Hermione about the traitor so we figure that she must have bumped into that person. I saw her in her classroom before I left and she looked out of it. I reckon she was trying to figure out who the traitor was."
"Yeah and then Hermione must have been heading up to bed and was using the staircases."
"No, her room is on another floor to the one where I found the sheet."
Ron didn't even have time to try and think of this when Tonks spoke up.
"The staircase, it must have moved. It's happens to Hermione all the time she gets all absorbed in her thoughts that she doesn't notice it moving."
Ron nodded and looked at everyone.
"We think that when she got off at that landing the traitor was waiting for her. They showed themselves by pulling the dagger out –"
"We also think that the stairs had already moved from behind her so she was facing empty space or the dagger."
Everyone fell silent and Ron looked around the room and his eyes locked with Dean's he looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Hermione is clever and since she's muggleborn she'd know the damage of a knife could be fatal if it hits at the right angle."
Ron nodded as they sat quietly for a moment and then Tonks spoke up.
"She jumped, that's what you think."
Ron shrugged but the prisoner spoke up.
"I know Hermione or I did. She's always thinking a few steps ahead and I bet she noticed that the staircase one tier below was there and thinking that she was more likely to survive the fall jumped."
Remus cleared his throat loudly and they all looked at him but his eyes were looked with that of the prisoners.
"She screamed and I ran to find her on the edge at the opposite end to where she landed. I must have been two minutes and when I was arriving the stairs were starting to move, so –"
"You're theory is plausible."
They all looked at George as he looked at his shoes. But Kingsley spoke up for the first time.
"We can't be sure of this, not without Hermione to back us up."
"But its worth knowing. We can't trust the other's a hundred percent so that means all plans for the battle, the important ones must go to us."
Everyone stared at George who just gave them a small smile whilst shrugging. The Prisoner though cleared his throat.
"Look I know you don't trust me but I'm part of this war. I don't want my family to have died for nothing I'll do anything I can to help, but we still need to give the other's important jobs otherwise the traitor will know that something is up and get the plans changed."
"The Prisoner is right; Moody always taught us that it was best to fool the enemy. What's that muggle saying Dean?"
He looked at Tonks and back at the Prisoner.
"Keep your friends close but your enemies closer."
As his words faded a plan was formed before George led the prisoner back down to the dungeons before the rest of the Order discovered his absence and before the next meeting was due to start.