Chapter Five

Hermione was in the library. Studying for a transfiguration test. And then Pansy sat down across from her.

"You fancy Draco?" she asked. Hermione looked up at her like she was crazy.

"I hate him, Parkinson." She told her quietly. Pansy smirked. "Why?"

"Because I've seen the way you look at him in the Great Hall."

"That's nothing, Parkinson." Pansy smirked again. "I hate him…" Hermione said as tears flooded her eyes. She got up, grabbed her books and walked out of the library as fast as she could. She swallowed hard as she entered the common room and saw Draco in his room, sleeping.

She dropped her books on the table and went into her room. She scratched her head and shook her hands through her hair. Finally she took off her heavy robes and sighed heavily. The sting of her tears faded away. She turned and looked at Draco sleeping from her door way. Hermione was extremely taken aback when he cried out in his sleep, "Mum!" She smirked a little and then Harry came through the portrait hole with Ron. She straightened up a little and looked at them.

"Hermione have you seen a watch anywhere?" Harry asked.

"Err…no. Why?"

"We'll explain later. Come with us." Harry said. Hermione took one last glance at Draco before following her two best friends. They went into Harry's room and started going through his closet very sloppily.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked.

"Looking for the map. We have a hunch. Actually…Ron came up with it." Harry told her.

"The map?" Hermione asked.

"The Marauder's Map, obviously."

"Well then why did you mention a watch?"

"Because…" Harry started, pulling out the map from his closet and unraveling it. "Slughorn is missing his watch. He was very nervous when asking us if we had seen it anywhere. It almost seemed like he didn't want anybody to find it."

"What would you need the map for?" Hermione asked.

"Just because." Ron said as they exited the dormitories and went up to the highest floor. Hermione knew instantly where they were heading to. Hermione gulped as they stood in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy.

Harry started walking back and forth looking like he was thinking very hard. He was so concentrated Hermione had got lost in her memories once again. She remembered when Ada had first gotten hit. She had came home late one night from being in London with her aunt and found Ada in her own room, sleeping in her bed. She touched her shoulder and then gently turned her over. On her face was the red print of a hand. Her arms had bruises.

"Hermione," Ron whispered loudly. "Come on." Hermione woke up from her recollection and looked at him. The door was open. She walked through and saw a messy, messy living room. There were all kinds of weird experiments going on and a very old looking TV that had a screwy looking antenna. Hermione went straight to the book case and looked at all his books which happened to be in a weird language. She took one out and flipped through the pages. She didn't understand one word. She went to put it back but then saw the glimmering of silver. It was a watch.

Hermione grabbed it and then put the book back slowly, studying the watch. It had the Ravenclaw colors on it and then she looked at the face. It was a map and the start of the hands was in the center.

"Did he say what it looked like?" Hermione asked, still focusing on it. The hands weren't moving which was odd.

"Silver…that's all he said." Harry told her. He turned and looked at her for about two seconds and then walked over to her, to examine the watch with her. "This is it." Ron turned around too fast and tripped over a book. He groaned, but Harry and Hermione kept looking at the watch. Ron kicked the books away and Hermione looked over with a hard glare.

"Ron, those aren't your books, so don't damage them." Hermione spat.

"Yeah, well he doesn't have to leave…everything EVERYWHERE."

"Shh!" Harry said.

Ron noticed that papers had flown out from the books. He grabbed them and looked at them. It was a diary entry.

I don't have much time to get rid of this. I honestly don't know how to destroy it. Dumbledore has told me to leave it in the hands of Harry, but I can't. It's too much. He's already got the weight of the world on his shoulders; I don't think I'll need to burden him with this. I'll put it where ever it needs to be. I'll put it in the Room of Requirement and never see it again. Yes, that's where it needs to go.

Ron stood up instantly hearing the voice of Slughorn. He crumpled up the paper and shoved it into his pocket. He then grabbed the other papers that had gotten loose and did the same thing.

Harry hastily put the watch in his pocket and they quickly exited the room. They reached the top of the stairs and saw Slughorn talking to Annie about the watch. He looked at them. He then looked away almost embarrassed. They slipped past the two and walked back to head boy and girl dormitories.

Hermione looked into Draco's room and he was still sleeping. They walked into Harry's room and closed the door. "Harry, why didn't you give it to him?" Hermione asked right away.

"Hermione, we have to find out what it's for." Harry and Hermione started arguing about what was right and what was wrong. Ron took out the entries and continued reading.

I've done my best to put the cup in the right place. I don't think Riddle will have a chance finding it. I do however know that what Malfoy has done might make it a little simple for Riddle to find it. But for Riddle to get into the school seems quite impossible. I am so afraid of what's to come this year at Hogwarts. I should have resigned, but I can't leave Harry to fend for himself. It would be wrong.

"Ronald, what are you reading?" Hermione asked. It seemed their arguing had stopped and they had noticed Ron. Ron looked up as she gently took the paper from him. He didn't stop her. She had the right to know as much as he did. She read it quicker than a speeding bullet.

"Ron, you just took it! You didn't bother to tell us?"

"I didn't want to worry you…" He said shyly. Harry took the parchment and read through it about ten times before glaring at Ron.

"You didn't want to worry us? Ron…this is about me!" Harry yelled looking at it and grabbing his hair. He looked crazy. "It's a horcruxe he's talking about and it's in the Room of Requirement. The watch is the map of where it is."

"Well, he tells us where it is in the letter, I don't think we'll need a map…" Ron stated. Harry and Hermione both looked at each other, their minds both racing with questions and thoughts. Then it came to him; the Room of Requirement was just going to be a room, it was going to be more.

"Ron, let me see those." Harry said. Ron handed the rest to Harry and he skimmed through all of them. He stopped at the word 'jungle' though…

If only there was some sort of jungle I could hide it. It would be perfect. I could throw it into the river because I know that Harry isn't a good swimmer-

Harry stopped and looked up at them. He sighed heavily. "I'm hungry," he said. He let the paper fall to the ground. He suddenly felt scared for himself. Harry had no sort of protection against anything and he had just realized it. Dumbledore was really gone and was never coming back.