Disclaimer: The characters, place and most of this is not mine, it is J.K. Rowling's.

Summary: A new year has arrived when Hermione, although she tries to escape, finds herself spending more and more time with Draco unintentionally. As prefect duties call and a new student arrives, how close will their relationship become? DMHG and others.

Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews! I'm not allowed to reply to them on here apparently, but they are all appreciated. More Hermione and Draco time should occur soon, hopefully.

Without Intention

Chapter Four: Malfoy Revealed and Revenge

In the centre of the large stone Owlery was a stone table, where several sheets of parchment, bottles of ink, quills and ribbons lay for the students to use to send letters via Owl.

As she approached the stone table, she sighed as she thought of the passing school week that had finally ended after many classes and lots of homework. Hermione felt the weekend was definitely something she deserved.

Ginny had been avoiding her at all costs, Hermione had sworn she had seen Ginny run from her when she would see her in the corridors between classes.

In addition, Ron had been assisting Harry in planning the Quidditch game season for the Gryffindor team, as Harry was chosen as the new Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, much to his surprise.

Harry was the most deserving; he had been playing Quidditch since first year and was supposedly one of the best seekers Hogwarts had ever seen. It was a shame that Harry had decided not to continue his talents in Quidditch after Hogwarts as a profession.

Hermione had felt very isolated the last few days, as she was busy and her schedule that was very different to those of her friends. This prevented them from talking. Perhaps she would have even appreciated Malfoy socialising with her, similar to what they had been doing during prefect rounds, even if it was not civil. She just needed someone to talk to…

She had not spoken to Malfoy since the prefect rounds, other than the usual taunt or insult towards her even though they were in all the same classes. Even Elise had only spoken to Hermione during Transfiguration and the other classes they shared together

Hermione carefully lifted a sheet of parchment from the large pile placed on the desk and dipped a feathered quill in a bottle of ink. She began to write a letter to Elise, proposing a visit to Hogsmeade and then shortly afterwards a tour of Hogwarts with Hermione.

Dear Elise,

I hope Malfoy has been treating you well. Sorry I have not spoken to you recently, I've been preoccupied with studies.

I was hoping that after a trip to Hogsmeade, I could show you around and then give you a tour of Hogwarts. The carriages depart for Hogsmeade at 12:00, in three hours, so I would expect you to reply shortly if possible.

Sorry for the short notice, but as I previously noted, I have been busy recently.

Thank you and please reply,

- Hermione

Hermione smiled and nodded at the letter, satisfied with what she had written.

She rolled the parchment neatly and tied it to the foot of one of the school owls, before staring motionlessly out of a window, watching the bird fly graciously fly towards the Slytherin tower.

Owls really were beautiful birds.

Once the owl was no longer in Hermione's sight, she left the Owlery and left for Breakfast in the Great Hall, hoping to be talk to Harry and Ron, she really had missed their company.

Draco stirred under his bed covers, before stretching and yawning. He had been up late planning the Quidditch tryouts that he was to have the following day.

He had hated whoever had chosen him for Quidditch captain; it only meant more commitment, which he did not have time for as sixth year was such a busy year.

With great effort, Draco eventually rose from his bed, before pausing to examine himself in the mirror on the wall. He grinned smugly at his reflection, remembering his succeeded effort when asking Elise to Hogsmeade on an innocent "outing."

- Flashback -

Elise's eyes narrowed, as she pondered what Draco had just said, ""I" before "e" e'cept after "c"? Are… are you sure eet ees always like deese?"

Draco shrugged, he was sitting on the table with a book on English in his hands, "Well, not always, but it almost always applies."

"Almost always? But vwat about ze word deice?" Elise asked stilled puzzled.

"Well we kind of contradict ourselves a bit, I don't know why…"

"Zen why ze rule?" Elise asked.

Draco merely shrugged again, before closing the book, shooing away the dust cloud that formed around his head as he shut it.

"I know you're finding these lessons confusing, so I have this idea, I'm not trying to seem forward," Draco began, "But perhaps the lessons would be more comfortable in a place more like your home, so I was thinking…"

Elise nodded her head politely for him to continue.

"…-Do you want me to perhaps give you a lesson in the French café at Hogsmeade? There's a trip to there on Saturday, I could show you around, perhaps to the Shrieking Shack too…"

Elise smiled, happy to accept Draco's offer. She could not believe that "Hermyknee" did not like Draco, he seemed so kind!

He was unlike several boys in France who had openly admitted to liking her, but only on a physical angle. Draco was her perfect match, their personalities were even alike.

"Oh, I vould lurve zat Draco!" she packed up her books into a leather bag and kissed Draco friendly on the cheek, "I am looking forward to it very much, Draco!"

Draco nodded and escorted her to the door politely as he could, but once she had left, Draco smirked to himself.

He could get any girl.

- End of Flashback -

Sighing, Hermione stared at her cereal during breakfast in the Great Hall, feeling rather distraught about her issues with Ginny, who was seated several seats across from her with some of her sixth year friends.

Forcing her cold cereal into her mouth her face lit up as she heard Harry and Ron approaching the table. Harry was holding a sheet of parchment, his eyes fixated on the figures on the parchment as he calculated them in his head.

"So that's…" he paused, "nine for keeper, seven students who want to try out for the beaters and fifteen for chasers."

Ron nodded, taking a seat across from Hermione at the table, "Yeah, which means you need to do a lot of cancelling…" Ron then cursed, "Damn."

Harry sat next to Ron, neither of them realising Hermione was at the table, waiting for them to greet her.

"Oh well, I reckon Mark Shawnoff and Bridgette Cavansky would be great for beaters, I mean, they're both big and strong," Ron suggested, examining the parchment in his hand, which was evidently the sign up sheet for try-outs for the team.

Harry nodded, his eyes shifting a quick glance at the girl sitting across the table from him, before registering in his mind that the girl was in fact his friend Hermione, "Oh!" he said surprised, "Hey Hermione, sorry, it's just we're busy with organising quidditch…"

Ron looked up the sheet of parchment as well, giving Hermione an apologetic look, "Yeah, we haven't really had time to talk this week, what with work and quidditch… I've been helping Harry prepare, even if he is trialling me out…"

Hermione smiled and shook her hand, holding her hands up, "Hey, no worries, I've been busy with schoolwork, anyway," she explained, but still wishing they could have applied more attention the past several days.

"So how are you anyway? Got anything planned for today?" Harry asked, pouring himself a glass of Pumpkin Juice and spooning some porridge into a bowl.

"Yeah, I might be going to Hogsmeade with Elise and giving her a tour of Hogwarts," she explained, but before quickly adding, "Hey, perhaps if Elise can't make it, would you two like to come with me?"

Ron gave Harry a quick uncertain look before apologising, "Sorry, Hermione, but the quidditch trials-."

"-Yeah, they're today, I have to be there, Ron too obviously..." Harry explained.

Hermione nodded, understanding, "That's okay, but promise afterwards we'll get time to talk? With all that's going on I need someone to talk to."

She was disappointed that they could not come with her but understood, the Quidditch Trials were definitely an appointment they could not miss. Harry had to choose the players for the team that year, there would be many unhappy faces if they cancelled the trials.

If Elise could not come, she would lose her last strand of hope. She would most likely finish the homework that she had promised she would do the next day. Perhaps Sunday could be her day of rest, rather than Saturday.

Her two friends promised and they continued to converse with her, sharing events with her that had happened during their week.

"-And then he cast some weird spell on Crabbe, there were beetles crawling out from his ears and, yeah. He said he got it from Fred and George's shop!" Ron finished explaining a fight that had occurred between some Gryffindor and Slytherin boys.

"They're doing really well, actually," Hermione mused to herself quietly, "All those charms and things… they're really quite smart, actually. I thought they would have done better on there O.W.L.'s."

"Speaking of O.W.L.'s, did you get notes on that Defence Against the Dark Arts practical lesson?" Ron asked Hermione and Harry, as he had neglected to take notes and he presumed the two of his friends would have. "Tonks said it would be important, but I was busy doing-."

Hermione furrowed her brow and hit Ron on the arm, "You couldn't be doing anything as important as what we learnt in class, it will be on O.W.L. exam!"

Hermione felt like inwardly grinning despite Ron's stupidity and the seriousness of the situation. It was just like old times, almost. Last year Harry had been so frustrated with his nightmares and Umbridge made school life hectic, not as carefree as previous years, but now, everything was back to normal.

"Excuse me!" Ron defended, "I was finishing my Divination homework!"

Harry choked on his drink and Ron shot him a pointed look, "Sorry…" Harry said.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but took a deep breath, trying to avoid angering herself. "Ron, you know Divination isn't even half as important as Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "Tonks is the best teacher we've had since Lupin."

Ron muttered, "Maybe if she wasn't moping around all the time about Sir-." Ron paused awkwardly.

Hermione looked at Harry who avoided looking at her, some emotion coming over him. It was true, Tonks had been depressed ever since the event at the Ministry the past year when Sirius had died.

She felt responsible for Sirius's death, just like Harry did. Mrs. Weasley had called it "survivor's guilt".

"Harry,-" Hermione began, before closing her mouth and turning to Ron to give him a glare, he knew he should not have said that.

Harry had been outwardly depressed several weeks after the incident at the Ministry, but when he had to again face Voldemort he was overcome with other emotions and tried to put his regret and mourning to the back of his mind. Mentioning anything to do with Sirius only made the emotions return.

"No, no, it's okay," he told his friends, "I can't avoid the truth forever, I've tried to forget, but…" he sighed, "it's hopeless, don't worry guys, I don't mind. Sirius wouldn't want me to be sad, anyway."

Ron nodded awkwardly patting Harry on the back, "Exactly…"

A/N: Corny of me, I know.

Hermione gave Ron another look, before saying, "Anyway…"

"Yeah so, uh," Ron began, searching for a subject to talk about in his head, "Oi, what's been up with Ginny? She's been keeping away from us purposely, I reckon. She's even sitting with that lot." He cocked his head to the side, pointing in the direction of a large group of fifth year girls who were giggling and whispering to each other.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, returning to his past, cheery state, "I know she has friends other than us, but it wouldn't take Sherlock to realise she's avoiding us…"

Ron's eyebrows furrowed and he murmured something along the lines of "Sherlock?" as Hermione nodded, concurring with Harry.

"Something is up, I'm sure of it. We spoke the other night and…" Hermione whispered, explaining the other night's events, her friends realising that lying was not a usual idiosyncrasy of Ginny's.

"That's odd," Harry thought a lot, "Any ideas?"

Ron and Hermione shook their heads, and as Ginny laughed aloud at the table, they started at her in an inconspicuously suspicious manner.

Hermione brushed her hands off over her laps and then sighed standing up from the table, "Alright guys, I'll speak to you later, good luck with the trials."

Ron thanked Hermione and waved goodbye, as did Harry, who then turned to Ron immediately and spoke of his concerns involving the Gryffindor Quidditch Team Trials.

Hermione laughed inwardly to herself from a distance at her friends' passions for Quidditch, before departing the Great Hall for the Gryffindor Common Room.

She was glad Harry had decided he could not mourn Sirius's death forever, for the moment while Voldemort was in hiding he had his friends, Quidditch and studies to worry him. Hermione felt happy that the boy who had always had worried on his mind was now living more carefree.

Stopping at the portrait of the Fat Lady, Hermione realised Ginny had been following her, "Hermione!" she called out, jogging to catch up with Hermione, "I left the table when I saw you go, I need to speak with you."

Hermione was pleased Ginny was now speaking to her, and nodded her head to allowing her to continue, "Yes?"

Ginny hugged Hermione then looked at her seriously, "I'm really sorry I've been ignoring you lately, but you have to understand that when I feel comfortable telling you what is up, I will in my own time."

"I understand Ginny, but you realise I'm you're friend and I have a right to know…"

Ginny nodded, "I know."

Hermione smiled, "Well good then, I'm glad everything's okay, I missed your company! The last few days have been dull."

"For me too, actually," Ginny sighed, before gesturing to the portrait, "Shall we talk about it in the common room, then?"

Hermione smiled at her friend and they entered the Common Room, noticing many students preparing for their trip to Hogsmeade already.

"Oh! I hope he says yes!" One girl squealed breathlessly to her friend.

Younger grades enviously eyed the older grades that were permitted to visit Hogsmeade. Hermione inwardly scoffed - why did every take Hogsmeade so seriously?

Ginny and Hermione sat upon one of the leather couches in front of the fire and discussed their individual concerns involving the last few days.

Ginny felt overworked, Hermione knew from experience that fifth year was a pressure as O.W.L.'s were fast approaching. Hermione then shared her concerns to Ginny, some that they had already mentioned in past conversations… Prefect duties, study, N.E.W.T's, Malfoy, Harry, Ron, and Voldemort…

It was hectic living the life of Hermione Granger, to say the least.

Hermione was distracted from Ginny who was speaking of her hate towards Slytherins, when Hermione noticed an owl outside one of the Gryffindor Common room windows.

As she excused herself from Ginny, she opened the window latch and allowed the owl in, noticing it's extinguishing features. It was large owl, with black silky smooth looking feathers and dark brown eyes. Hermione knew almost immediately it could not have possibly been a school owl.

The owl perched its self on the window ledge and pecked gently at Hermione's hand signalling for her to untie the letter.

The letter was from Elise regarding Hermione proposition, it read:

Dear Hermione,

Thank you very much for your invitation to Hogsmeade but I have already made plans with Draco, he has offered to give me a tour of the village (including the Shrieking Shack!). He says he knows a place where he can tutor me too.

However, I am free afterwards, and I would be delighted to be given a tour by you! Draco and my friends have already given me brief tours, but still I am yet to discover other places.

Thank you for the offer!

- Elise x

Hermione narrowed her eyes, and then stormed over to Ginny who was seated at one of the Study tables, shoving the piece of parchment on the table.

"Malfoy's made plans with her," she snapped, "Malfoy, of all people!"

Ginny look curiously at her enraged friend before reading the letter, and merely shrugging, "Maybe he has a soft side, isn't this good? Perhaps we can trick Elise into forcing turning him to a polite, caring gentleman."

Hermione scoffed, "Like that would happen, you and I both know he only likes her physically. What do guys see in foreign girls anyway?"

"Erm, I dunno? They're easy to use when they're in a new country… Confused, vulnerable, looking for someone to lean on…" Ginny took a guess, males' minds could be very confusing things sometimes.

Elise doesn't deserve that, she's an innocent girl, she's oblivious to all the guys who like her."

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Hermione, I'm sick of talking about this," she said with exasperation, "You have to understand that not all guys are like Harry and Ron, who you're used to…"

"I know that Ginny, I wouldn't have minded if someone else was taking her, but Malfoy? I could've given her a proper tour of Hogsmeade, and then Hogwarts. Malfoy will probably just show her that café where it's Valentine's Day all year 'round."

"Hermione, calm down. You've never let anything Malfoy does effect you like this before, like in past years, just accept it. You can still give her a tour of Hogwarts afterwards, it just means less work for you."

"You're right, actually. I just…" she sighed, "I wished he didn't have such dominance over me, you know? I don't really care if they go there, I'm just using it as an excuse to be angry at him."

"You know, you don't have to let him have that authority over you, he thinks he can, but it's time he stopped, right? The whole mud…" Ginny cringed, "-mudblood-thing is just childish."

Hermione rubbed her temples in frustration, "But how? He gets to me too much; I bet he doesn't sit in the Slytherin Common Rooms talking about me with that Zabini guy."

It was true, Hermione had let Malfoy get to her too much this year. Perhaps not in previous years, but this year she had let him take advantage of her. And although she was unable to think how she would ignore him, or even get even with him (a very un-Hermione thing to do) she would not tolerate his behaviours anymore.

Ginny sighed, "Well Hermione, you're just going to have to work that out yourself, I honestly don't know."

The French Café was not a popular location for Hogwarts students, it was an artistic, trendy place where couples in there early twenties usually visited.

Elise sighed, "So you forgot ze engleesh books zen? Can you just run over anyzing you can remember?"

Draco's eyes enlarged, "Uh, actually…" he paused, feigning sickness, "I don't feel well, I think I'd just like to relax, I mean, it's not everyday I'm in a café with a beautiful girl…"

Elise blushed and tucked her fringe behind her ear, smiling at Draco. She was flattered, but still embarrassed, she hadn't been expecting him to say such a thing…

She stood from the round, vanished wooden table and apologised, "Sorry, I, uh, just need to freshzen up in ze bathrooms."

Elise pulled a tissue from her purse and entered the Womens bathroom, decorated in a similar fashion to a bathroom that could be found in a French resort.

She dabbed at her eyes that had become teary due to the strong aroma of coffee in the Café.

She caught her look of anticipation in her reflection and smiled, she was glad she could enjoy a day off with Draco, who had proved to be so kind.

Still smiling, she left the room and noticed with her brow furrowed that across the room sat Draco at their table, but now he was accompanied by one of his friend's (a familiar face that she could not name).

Suspicious she inconspicuously kneeled behind a vacant table, watching Draco make several rude gestures involving herself to his friend. The two Slytherins laughed, unaware that Elise was in fact watching.

Elise stared is disbelief at the two Slytherins who mentioned who name several times amongst their laughs, before Blaise waved to his friend, approaching the exit of the Café.

In a teary fury, Elise rushed from the Café, not allowing Blaise or Draco to see her. She swung her scarf around her neck, trying to remain inconspicuous as she fled down the streets in silent tears. She was unaware where she would go, all she knew was that men were pigs.

Where they all the same? Why was it she always found herself is similar situations to the one she was in then?

Then, realisation dawned upon her. Hermyknee had been right about Draco, why hadn't she trust Hermyknee, someone who had known Draco for five, going on six years?

Hermione was re-reading her essay on potions as she walked to the library, eager to begin her Transfiguration essay on the Properties of Vanishing spells that would be due on Monday.

Her shoes echoed through the halls as she walked to the library, most of the students were at Hogsmeade, in the library or outside. It was a cool autumn day, people were trying to enjoy as much sun as they could before the weather became cooler.

Suddenly, Hermione heard quick steps approaching her from behind and as she turned to see whom the feet belonged to, she saw Elise slowly jogging towards her.

Elise's eyes were bloodshot and she looked distraught, Hermione realised it was obvious Elise had been crying.

"Hermyknee!" she called, running to catch up with Hermione, "I'm so sorry! You were right, I-I can't believe myself!"

"What?" Hermione asked, but knew that the only thing Elise could be talking about was in fact Malfoy.

"You were right about Malfoy,"- Hermione realised Elise had started referring to him by his last name, -"he didn't care at all, he's a pig! It's my entire fault, how could I be so stoopid?"

Hermione was unsure how to act, having after all never had to comfort anyone other than Ginny when it came to issues with boys. She awkwardly hugged Elise, who accepted the hug and squeezed Hermione tight, obviously looking for anyone she could trust.

"Look, don't blame yourself, he tricked you! He's the one to blame, not you" Hermione said confidently, "Now tell me, what happened?"

Elise told Hermione the events that had just occurred and mentioned her previous encounters with boys similar to the one that had just occurred.

Elise finished, wiping her eyes, "I didn't even tell him I was leaving, maybe I should-."

"No way!" Hermione said in disbelief, "Sometimes in your life, a time arrives when manners are not important, he didn't use manners when treating you. So you shouldn't expect to be nice to him."

Elise smiled, "I..I guess you are right Hermyknee, but he eez in my house! I still have to get him to show me around to classes, I get easily lost!"

Hermione pensively thought back to several hours earlier when Ginny had spoken about Malfoy. She didn't want to stoop to Malfoy's level, but it seemed, as that moment, that revenge was in order.

"Elise," Hermione said confidently, "We need to get back at Malfoy, we need him to see how he treats us, how it feels."

"Revenge?" Elise asked, "Eez that what eet eez called?"

Hermione nodded, "That's right, we need a series of plans to get out revenge. But we can't do it alone," Hermione realised, "we'll need other people to help us, as well."

Elise squealed, clapping her hands together in a comical way, "That eez eet Hermyknee! But how can I help? I don't have any ideas!"

"Well first of all, you can call me Her-my-oh-knee," Hermione said, "-And second of all, you have to pretend nothing happened between you and Draco. We're going to publicly embarrass him through you, okay?"

Hermione grinned; she had read several Muggle novels involving revenge and had always thought of it as impossible. Now she had an opportunity to in fact do so. It seemed all the plans running through her mind seemed to fit together well, like a puzzle.

Her main plan was to allow Draco to become close to Elise, then have her somehow embarrass Draco publicly, something involving their relationship together… and perhaps during the process of it all, they could prank him along the way, with the help of Hermione's extensive knowledge of spells and perhaps Fred and George.

This was going to work.

"-Okay, Her..Hermione?" she finally grasped the proper pronunciation of Hermione's name, "I feel bit cruel though, eez theese plan too much?"

Hermione inwardly agreed, Hermione was a Prefect, after all. Wouldn't this abuse her chances of becoming Head Girl?

Was revenge on Malfoy really worth it?

Well, no, but when did Hermione ever let go? Perhaps it was her association to Harry and Ron that made her feel rebellious. She would not be caught, no. She had ties with certain people, there was no way, if they went about it correctly, that she could get caught. They just had to be very careful.

"No, we're not. If I could describe all the terrible things Malfoy had done to my friends, their families and myself, you would understand. He deserves it," Hermione explained.

Elise looked a little unsure, "Will eet work though?"

"Of course it will."

Hopefully, she said to herself as an afterthought.

Harry and Ron has returned to the Gryffindor Common Room after a busy day of Quidditch Trials, only to slump down on the lounges of the Common Room.

"Well?" Hermione asked, at her friends who were low on energy, "How were the trials?"

"Exhausting!" Ron said groaning, "I had to try out against heaps of other students who didn't put themselves down on the parchment to try out, but I think I did okay… But I'm not really Keeper material I think, not against the new meat, I don't think I'll stay in the team…"

Harry rolled his eyes, "Ron, I'll decide that, I mean, don't put yourself down…"

Hermione had realised Ron often degraded himself, perhaps it was because Mrs. Weasley had always spoken of her other son's great achievements more than his own. He had become prefect and been on some dangerous missions with Harry, he deserved some more credit sometimes, she thought.

"Mmm…" Hermione agreed contemplatively as she scribbled Defence Against the Dark Arts homework down, which coincidently was a spell they had long ago used in DA.

It was a shame it had not continued, it was a faster process than the usual classes that also focused on animals and more theory as well as spell work. But now they had Tonks who had accepted the offer to from Dumbledore to fill the position, as he felt an Auror could prepare students for what lay ahead in a well-thought manner. Tonks didn't like setting theory, but it was Ministry regulations…

"Have you two finished your homework?" she asked, as Ron and Harry exchanged guilty looks.

"-There's still tomorrow!" Ron interjected, defending himself and Harry.

Hermione sighed, then said with exasperation, "I did give you those Homework diaries for a reason, you know. Have you even been using them?"

"Sort of," Harry shrugged. "But I'm so tired after - er - sitting in the stands for such a long time, cut me some slack."

"Yeah, and I had to play!" Ron exclaimed.

"It's better to get it done than leave it for later, you know…" she sighed, then continued her work, listening to Harry and Ron talk about nonsense.

Before long, Ron had interrupted Hermione from her studies, moaning about his need for food "I'm starving! I didn't get lunch; want to go down to the kitchens, Hermione with me and Harry?"

Hermione couldn't believe Ron abused his role as Prefect so frequently, why did Dumbledore choose him? He was just as mischievous as Harry, who Hermione had originally thought deserved the position more.

"Ron! You're a prefect!"

Harry grinned at Hermione, "Exactly, if we caught, which we won't," Harry said winking, reminding Hermione of his possession of an invisibility cloak, "You two can explain some rational - er - prefect-like reason as to why I'm down there… and yourselves of course."

Ron nodded and agreement, "Please? C'mon, you look like some food would do you some good."

Hermione thought about her image, the tired, exhausted face she had seen in the enchanted mirror that morning, that had stated, "My Goodness, you need some beauty sleep, love!" She had stayed up until past midnight some nights, some nights lying in bed contemplating over the school week, or studying in the common room.

After being slightly hesitant, Hermione eventually agreed, "Oh alright, but only for a little while, it's almost twelve!"

The boys grinned, it was not often they successfully convinced Hermione to go down to the kitchens. Harry ran to grab his invisibility cloak that had proved to be useful during their time at Hogwarts.

They had all grown since their first year, meaning they all had to, Harry and Ron in particular, crouch low to hide from their shins downwards. They encountered Ms. Norris once when they took a wrong turn.

"Ron!" Hermione snapped in a whisper, "We've been in for almost six full years, you should have known it was that way like I said!"

Ron retaliated, "It's hard to see without light!"

Harry signalled them to be quiet as Ms. Norris lurked by. They had just passed the corridor where the Room of Requirement was. Hermione remembered how useful it had been during DA meetings.

She smiled to herself, but as she looked down the hall as she, Harry and Ron passed to head towards the Grand Staircases, she noticed the door was quietly shut by a girl wearing Gryffindor robes.

Hermione had seen in the lack of light orange hair move as the figure's paled hand closed the door…

Ginny? What was she doing there?

Hermione had swore she had seen Ginny head off to bed, why was she there now? Why had she told Hermione where she was truthfully going? Did this have anything to do with what Ginny had been hiding?

Whatever it was, Hermione promised she would find out another night. At this moment, she could only assume why Ginny had been entering the Room of Requirement…. If it was her after all.

Author's Note: Thanks, please R & R! Constructive criticism is appreciated.