Chapter Twenty-Six - The Snake In The Grass And The Rat In The Trap

"So where would that backstabbing little git be hiding then Hermione?" Harry asked as he took a sip of the vegetable soup Ron had quickly put together for the three of them.

"Well I get the feeling Voldemort has tired of his company but doesn't completely trust him to let him leave his service completely so he's given him the task of keeping Nagini hidden. The snake is also keeping her own eye on Pettigrew for her master."

"So am I right in thinking that Scabbers..."Ron shook his head, "I've got to stop thinking of him like that, Pettigrew is the one who is hiding the two of them?"

Hermione nodded.

"Well there's always the hope that Nagini eats him in his rat form and chokes to death on his poisonous existence," Ron grumbled.

Harry laughed at this and dipped a chunk of bread into his soup.

"Well I'm not sure if Wormtail's a great hider or not. I mean he did manage to stay hidden for twelve years but at the same time he also managed to make his escape when he knew Sirius was onto him and not have the brains to get any further than Hagrid's hut in all that time he was gone."

"Hagrid," Hermione said thoughtfully, Ron and Harry looked at each other and shared a bemused shrug, "he'd know how to catch a snake wouldn't he?"

Harry grinned, he had been missing the great old half-giant a lot, and he thought that a quick trip to Hogsmede was just the kind of break the three of them needed after the disastrous attempt at fighting Voldemort.

"We'll go to the Three Broomsticks and send him an owl," Harry said.

Ron's eyes lit up.

"Maybe I could go and see..." Ron hesitated and looked away from Harry before continuing, "...some of the guys."

Harry smiled a sad smile at the redhead and kicked at his foot to get him to look at him again.

"You should go and see Ginny, she'd really like that Ron, I bet she's really missing you."

Ron looked a little guilty.

"You could come?"

"You and I both know that's not a good idea."

Ron lowered his head and Hermione took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Go and see your sister Ron, we'll talk to Hagrid and fill you in when you get back."

Ron sighed and nodded.

"I couldn't believe it when they told me you three weren't comin' back to school, it's bin bad enough without Dumbledore but without the three of you..." Hagrid wailed as he almost suffocated Harry and Hermione with his enormous hug, "...hold on," Hagrid released them and stared down as they caught their breath, "why are there only two of the three of you? What's happened to Ron?"

"Don't worry Hagrid," Harry said, catching his breath, "he's gone to the school to see Ginny."

Hagrid looked happy enough at this news and guided Harry and Hermione into chairs in a quiet corner of the pub with an unintentionally heavy hand.

"Oh well there's a good big brother for you eh? I know she's been pining for 'im...well all of you really, now let's get ourselves a drink shall we?"

Hagrid waved his large hand to get some service and Hermione decided to get straight to the point of their flying visit.

"The thing is Hagrid, we wanted to pick your brain, you've got more knowledge on all sorts of creatures than anybody else we know."

Hagrid blushed, at least Harry thought he was blushing from what skin was visible under all the hair.

"Your expertise is invaluable and I can think of nobody better to help us fulfil Dumbledore's mission."

Harry had to admire her skill at telling Hagrid exactly what he wanted to hear. He was needed, his knowledge of creatures was appreciated, and he was going to be helping his beloved Dumbledore.

"It would be an honour to help Dumbledore, great man he was...great man, so what do you need from me Hermione?"

"Well we need to track down a snake and a rat and we need some way of trapping the snake without getting hurt ourselves."

Hagrid looked thoughtful and three large bottles of butterbeer were set on the table before them.

"Well there is something I use when I go searching for wounded animals in the forbidden forest but I'm not sure it'll be of any use to you though."

"Why not?" Harry frowned as he swallowed his mouthful of butterbeer.

"Well unless you got a piece of either animal or some blood then it's no good to yeh. See what I do is I find blood from a hurt creature and I put it into my tracker and say invenio and it guides me through the forest until I find the poor thing."

"So unless we have fur from the rat or blood from the snake then..." Hermione trailed off.

"There's nothing else you can suggest Hagrid?" Harry asked with no attempt to disguise his disappointment.

Hagrid looked crestfallen that he wasn't able to assist them on Dumbledore's quest and scratched his beard while desperately searching his mind for another way to be of help to them and coming up with nothing.

"Well come to my hut and take one of my spare trackers with you anyway, you never know do you? You might be able to adapt it Hermione, you're always good with stuff like that aren't yer?" Hagrid grinned with hope in his eyes.

Hermione smiled and nodded.

"Great idea Hagrid, and thank you for having so much faith in me too."

They finished their butterbeers and set off for Hogwarts castle. Harry felt a little strange as he approached the building he was supposed to already be inside, studying for his N.E.W.Ts. As they passed through the gates Hagrid called across to Filch to let Ron know that they were in his hut, the bitter old man didn't seem to appreciate that very much, and Harry and Hermione couldn't hide their amusement. They reached the hut and got a very warm and very sloppy welcome from Fang and tried to politely refuse Hagrid's rock cakes. Harry suspected they were made from real rock.

"So why exactly do you need a rat and a snake then?" Hagrid enquired while brewing the tea, "'cause I can get you a rat and a snake if you need live ones for a spell or a potion or sumthin' y'know? On the quiet of course."

Hagrid tapped the side of his nose and Hermione looked outraged.

"Hagrid we would never do anything of the sort! What a suggestion."

"Oh sorry, didn't mean to offend, I'm jus' curious tha's all. Just you tell me to mind my own business."

"She didn't mean it like that Hagrid, really."

Harry glared at Hermione, who didn't notice as she was still looking somewhat affronted at Hagrid's animal sacrifice suggestion. Hagrid poured the tea and moved the untouched plate of rock cakes aside and replaced it with another plate of sausage rolls that Harry dared to try and found were actually edible.

The door to Hagrid's hut opened and Ron stepped inside, Harry held his breath for a moment as he looked behind him to see if Ginny had insisted on following her brother to see Harry but she hadn't, and Hagrid's body engulfed him in his own suffocating hug.

"Ron, good to see yeh again, have some tea and help yourself to sausage rolls."

Harry thought that Ron was saying thank you to Hagrid but he couldn't be sure as his face was still crushed into the half giant's stomach. When Ron was released he looked a little flushed and caught his breath as he sat down only to have the plate of sausage rolls thrust under his nose. He looked a little nauseated for a second before pushing the plate away with a smile.

"I ate with Ginny thanks Hagrid."

"Ah come on Ron, I know you've always got room for food, you're not tellin' me that you're full are yeh?" Hagrid chuckled.

He pushed the plate back under Ron's nose and this time around he couldn't help but notice him flinch.

"Hagrid," Hermione pulled the plate out of his hands and put it to one side with a smile, "Ron's actually a vegetarian now."

Hagrid looked at Ron as if he was an oddity.

"Well for now anyway," Hermione added.

"No," Ron quickly corrected her, "for good, forever."

Hagrid looked from Ron to Hermione and then to Harry who gave him the most subtle shake of the head and Hagrid seemed to understand that this was something he shouldn't push.

"I really did eat quite a lot in the great hall Hagrid. It's fine really," Ron grinned.

"Rock cake?" Hagrid asked with great caution, not wanting to accidentally upset anyone again.

Ron knew exactly what Hagrid's rock cakes were like but he felt obliged to take one after seeing how anxious he was.

"Thanks Hagrid," Ron smiled and took one of the smaller ones from the pile.

Hagrid seemed happy at this and sat down while Ron attempted to soften the cake a little more by dipping it into his tea.

"So do we have anything then?" he asked them as he began to gnaw at the very edge of the cake.

"Well no," Hermione shrugged, trying to mask her obvious disappointment from Hagrid, "but we do have something from Hagrid that could help us if we found some of the rat's fur or blood, I don't suppose you kept any of Scabbers fur did you?"

Ron shook his head while Hagrid frowned.

"Scabbers?"

Once again Harry shook his head at Hagrid who looked a little annoyed that everything was out of bounds conversation-wise.

"Well we'd need something of the rat or the snake to make Hagrid's tracker thingy work but I have no idea where to get hold of either," Hermione sighed.

"If we knew where to go to get the snake's blood we'd be right where we wanted to be anyway wouldn't we?" Harry said, equally disheartened.

Ron gave up on his attempt to politely eat the cake and sat back in his seat.

"Well we know where to find her snakeskin don't we? Would that do the trick Hagrid?"

Harry and Hermione both jumped up from the table before Hagrid could answer in the affirmative.

"Of course!" Harry smacked himself on the forehead.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Hermione squealed.

Ron remained seated and looked from one of them to the other with some amusement.

"Have I been an accidental genius again?"

Hermione laughed and planted a kiss on his cheek. Hagrid's eyes almost bulged so far out of his head that they wouldn't have been able to go back in and he pointed at Hermione and Ron with great excitement. Harry caught his eye and shook his head in warning once again. Hagrid looked thoroughly exasperated at this and threw his huge arms into the air.

"Is there anything I can bloody talk about?"

Harry shook with laughter and gave the half giant a sympathetic shrug.

There was a loud crack and Hermione apparated back into Hogsmede clutching the snakeskin in her hands.

"Got it!" she beamed.

"Any trouble?" Ron asked her.

"No, the place was just as deserted as when we were there the last time."

"Good," Ron sighed, it made a change for him to be waiting anxiously while Hermione disapparated into the unknown.

"So put it in the tracker and let's find that snake," Harry said as he held out the thin metal tube Hagrid had proudly presented him with before they left the Hogwarts grounds.

Hermione stuffed the snakeskin into the tube and Ron tapped it with his wand.

"Invenio!"

The tube glowed yellow and a jagged trail of light, nothing brighter than a firefly darting ahead of them through the night sky, flitted off into the distance. Without a word to each other they followed it.

This could be a long night Harry thought to himself as they pursued the speck of light out of Hogsmede village and along a quiet country lane. If Nagini was hundreds of miles away they would be walking for days non-stop at this rate, Hagrid's tracker was only really used for tracking a creature you knew you were quite near to. It was the only thing they had going for them though and they soldiered onwards.

"So as we've got time to kill," Ron spoke out of nowhere, "maybe we should come up with a plan of action."

"A strategy you mean?" Harry asked, a little amused at Ron's thought process.

"Yeah, you've got to think ahead haven't you? Winging it gets you so far and then it's the better prepared person who gets the upper hand."

Harry met Hermione's eye and they shared a grin before Harry spoke again.

"This is the chess player in you coming out isn't it?"

Ron finally caught on to the source of their amusement and smile with a little embarrassment.

"Yeah, well I didn't have a battle plan last time did I and look how badly that went."

Hermione linked her arm with Ron's as they walked on.

"That wasn't your fault, you couldn't plan your next move when you couldn't see any of the pieces on the board, you were fighting blind and I think you did brilliantly."

Ron didn't look convinced.

"Well that was mostly him wasn't it? Eyes in the back of his head the way you two described it."

"No it wasn't like that at all Ron," Harry said thoughtfully, "it was more like he was the eyes in the back of your head. You two make a good team."

Hermione nodded and seemed to come over exceptionally sad all of a sudden.

"That's true Ron, the power comes from the two of you together, and when you were...well when you were taken out of the game he could barely create any kind of substantial spell at all. It was just like wisps of coloured smoke coming out of nowhere."

Ron looked at Hermione as she let out a deep sigh and they carried on their way in silence for several steps.

"Well I'll go after Sc...Pettigrew, he's my pest to deal with," Ron said quietly.

Harry frowned, he always suspected that Ron felt a little guilty about all the things Wormtail went on to do after escaping on that night in their third year, he didn't want Ron to blame himself for helping Voldemort return to power and the killing of Cedric Diggory.

"He owes it to you to face you properly," Harry nodded and Ron smiled, "hexing you while you were injured to save his worthless skin that night...he's got it coming the coward."

Ron suddenly looked very cross indeed.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that was him!"

Harry felt a little better now that Ron remembered he hadn't just let the rat escape, he had been so determined to bring that git to justice that he'd chained himself to the pathetic little runt despite having a broken leg himself. Hermione was chuckling at Ron's selective memory.

"What?" Ron asked her.

"It's just comical how you remember every little thing you've ever done wrong and yet one of the most heroic things any of us have ever seen you do just slipped your mind!"

Harry laughed at this too and Ron's ears pinked-up at Hermione calling him heroic.

"Right well that leaves me and Hermione to catch Nagini," Harry smiled, "piece of cake!"

Hermione frowned uncomfortably.

"Do we really have to catch her? Can't we just kill her on sight?"

Ron gaped at Hermione.

"I never thought a day would come when I'd hear you say something like that."

"Well these are dark days and they call for desperate measures," Hermione swallowed and seemed to be struggling with something internally, "speaking of which..."

She put her hand into her pocket and pulled out the silver hoops. Harry saw her glance at him with an un-disguisable look of guilt in her eyes.

"...pop this on for me would you?"

Ron's face crinkled with the complete lack of comprehension regarding her actions.

"What for? I'm not going to fall asleep Hermione."

Hermione looked really guilty now, Harry thought, and he remembered her reluctant confession that the power of the hoops was becoming slightly addictive to her. He knew she could read his thoughts and refused to meet his eyes any longer.

"I know that Ron but I still want you to let me put it on you," she looked up into his eyes, "you trust me don't you?"

Ron laughed and held out his arm.

"Of course I trust you ya twit, I just know how much you hate using these things so you kind of took me by surprise that's all."

Harry stared at Hermione with such ferocity he thought he was going to burn right through her hair. Her face was getting flushed and he knew she could feel his glare upon her. He was on the verge of saying something when Hermione pushed the hoop up Ron's arm and past his elbow but Ron had turned to him and shrugged with amiable resignation.

"Better to be safe than sorry I suppose eh?"

Harry nodded and tried to force a smile on his face but he was too concerned about Hermione. What was she playing at? There was no need for the hoops, Ron wasn't going anywhere, all he could think of as a reason for her insisting on using them was because what she had told him she feared most was now true. She was addicted to the control. She was developing some sort of feral ownership of Ron and it scarred Harry more than he wanted to admit.

Harry aimed his wand at Ron's feet and untied his shoelaces with a non-verbal spell.

"Oi mate, you don't want to go into battle like that do ya?" he pointed out to the lanky redhead who cursed under his breath and crouched down to tie his shoes again. Harry kept walking and took Hermione's elbow dragging her along with him, out of Ron's earshot.

"What the hell's going on with you Hermione? There's no need for the bond of blood and you know it."

Hermione finally met his eyes and set her features into an expression of fierce determination.

"This isn't what you think Harry, I was just worried about Ron when I was talking to you at thenest before, and it's just like you said; I'm not power-hungry am I?"

"You weren't then."

"What does that mean?"

"I mean then you were upset at the fact you wanted control over him as much as possible, now your justifying it as if it's reasonable Hermione and it isn't!"

Harry could see Hermione trembling quite violently as she turned and faced him full on.

"We're going into battle Harry, another one so soon after the last, and he could get knocked out and I wouldn't have time to put the hoop on him. There'd be too much else going on with Nagini."

"That's not why you did this and you know it," Harry spat back at her as he noticed Ron trotting back to them in the distance.

"Don't you trust me?" she asked him, softening only slightly towards him.

Harry bit his lip before answering.

"I do. Do you trust yourself?"

He saw Hermione swallow and avert her eyes.

"I'd never let anything happen to him Harry. He's mine."

Ron was closer now; Harry lowered his voice to a whisper.

"He doesn't belong to you."

Hermione's eyes welled-up a little and she turned away and continued walking onward after the disappearing light.

"You know what I meant."

Ron stopped beside Harry and slapped him on the back.

"What was that?"

Harry blinked and stared at Ron's inquisitive face.

"What was what?"

Ron nodded to Hermione several steps ahead of them.

"You two, you looked kind of serious."

"Oh just battle plans and snake attack strategies that's all," Harry smiled and shrugged.

"That's all is it?" Ron said with great sarcasm, "And there was me thinking it was something difficult and hazardous."

Harry made himself laugh as he let his eyes fall upon the silver hoop that floated around his best friend's upper arm.

"That thing comfortable?"

Ron glanced down at the hoop and shrugged.

"I don't notice it until she starts throwing me around accidentally," he chuckled.

Something inside Harry didn't find that at all funny though.

"Look!" Hermione called back to them just as Ron was about to ask Harry what was bothering him, "The light's changed direction, and it's heading toward the Shrieking Shack."

"Of course," Harry gasped, "that idiot Pettigrew would've chosen one of the only hiding places he had that had no connection from Voldemort. His childhood bloody secret."

"No imagination that little rat," Ron scowled as they ran to catch up with Hermione and followed the light into the rickety old house.

A/N I'd really like to know what you lot think about this side of Hermione. Tell me if you think I've handled it right or if you think I'm taking her too far out of character.

My aim with this hoop thing is to show her internal struggle between her head and her heart. Her head knows it's wrong to abuse the power she has over Ron but her heart wants to keep him with her and safe at all times.

All feedback on this is much appreciated.

Shari