Chapter 2 /./ The Ravenclaw Quintuplets

A week passed, and things slowly seemed to return to normal. Hermione still had not spoken a word, but I assumed it would be this way. I quickly found out that the fates were on my side. We had received our schedules, and as top students of our year, we were taking all the same advanced classes.
It was in one of those advanced classes that the next intriguing incident came about.

"Ms. Granger, could you please come demonstrate?" Professor Flitwick called. It was our last class of the week, and nothing had happened yet. I looked over to Hermione, who looked down at the short man as though he had lost his mind. "Ms. Granger?" She sighed heavily, moving from the corner in which she had sat alone to the very center of the class to perform the Patronus charm we had been using for review. I began to wonder how she was going to accomplish this without speaking, when she flicked her wand and a magnificent white horse burst from it.

So, she was more clever than I imagined. But clever enough?

"Wonderful, Ms. Granger, absolutely brilliant," Flitwick began as applause erupted around the room and her patronus faded. She started to go back to her seat, but he called out to her again, saying, "But I would be much obliged if you could demonstrate the correct pronunciation as well."

Her face turned white, and she shook her head. She looked at the floor, crossing her hands behind her back as though she were ashamed. I heard Potter snickering from the back of the classroom, and her face took on a slight red flush.

"Ms. Granger, are you feeling well?" She nodded, looking up and eyeing her cherished notebook desperately. "Can you please perform the charm?" Flitwick sounded confused, which only seemed to cause her more misery. Right as she seemed as though she would pass out or vomit, I spoke up.

"I'll do it, Professor Flitwick."

"Very well, Mr. Malfoy." He gave Hermione a confused look as she raced back to her desk and wrenched her notebook open, writing faster than anyone I had ever seen.

The rest of the class passed without any more trouble. Hermione raced out of the room as Flitwick dismissed us, and I knew I would not see her at dinner. She had nearly lost her house points, denying the wishes of a teacher as she had. This was not the same Hermione Granger I had known. She would've never given up a chance to prove her knowledge. I packed my bag slowly, contemplating my next move. How would I unravel the mystery of Hermione Granger?

As I approached the common room, I was assaulted by the sounds of rather loud giggles coming from inside. I looked to the portrait for an explanation, but the girl was ignoring me, engrossed in a rather large book. I said the password, and heard a sniffle from the girl as the portrait swung open. I began to look around and see if she was crying, but I was jerked into the common room and pulled bodily into my bedroom. The giggles were loud, but I could not get a good look at who was causing them before the door was slammed. Hermione Granger pushed me onto the bed, absolutely fuming.

"What?" I asked. What was going on here? She pointed at the door, and then mimed a giggle, tossing her hair back and twirling it. She crossed her arms angrily. "What in the world are you on about?" She made a guttural noise of frustration before searching on my desk to find a piece of parchment.

Who the hell are they?

"What are you talking about, Granger? I didn't even get to see them, you yanked me in here too fast." She sighed.

I'm waiting here. Go get rid of them, and come back when you're done.

I rolled my eyes, dropping my bag beside the bed and taking off my robes and tie before I went down into the common room. There, sitting in a neat little row on my Slytherin couch, were 5 girls I had never seen before.
Even stranger, they were all identical. 5 pairs of vivid green eyes watched me from under their impeccable brown bangs as I seated myself on the couch across from them. One of them whispered something in the other's ear, and they all giggled.

"Erm... Good evening."

"Draco Malfoy, is it? Head Boy?" I nodded. "We're Ravenclaws. Our mother sent us here after the defeat of Voldemort by the Boy-who-lived." I rolled my eyes. "My name is Cassandra."

"Claire."

"Christina."

"Cathy."

"Carrie. Professor Dumbledore told us you'd be able to take us to the Ravenclaw dormitory, as he is far too busy to." I sighed, shrugging.

"Very well. Let's go." I grabbed my cloak from where it had dropped when Hermione had dragged me through the common room, and led the girls out into the hallway. Dumbledore had shown us easy shortcuts to all the common rooms, that only we could find, so it was an easy voyage. As they all thanked me and went into the common room, Cassandra, who seemed to be thir leader, stayed back.

"That Hermione Granger girl is strange." I nodded, narrowing my eyes and wondering what she was getting at.

"I've heard the reason her best friend Ron is dead is because she killed him, thinking he was Harry Potter. Be careful, Draco Malfoy, she was on Voldemort's side," she whispered, before disappearing into the Ravenclaw dormitory.

So, the Ravenclaw quintuplets were here to spread rumors? I knew enough to know that Hermione had never been on Voldemort's side, but killing Ron and mistaking him for Harry? I wondered if what she had said had any truth in it at all.

I returned to the common room shortly after 11. I went down to the kitchens for a snack and had gotten lost on the return trip. Hermione was nowhere to be found in the common room. I checked in her room before I remembered she was waiting for me in my room.

"Hey, Granger, I've got some foo-" I began, but stopped short as I was met with the sight of Hermione Granger asleep on my bed. Her black hair was fanned out across my pillows, contrasting amazingly with the rich forest green. She looked peaceful while she was sleeping. She had none of the demons that plagued her face in waking. I resolved to not wake her up, not willing to disturb what little peace she had. I knew she had not been sleeping well, the deep bags under her eyes as proof. I pulled a spare blanket from my closet and curled up in my armchair in front of my small fireplace. I watched her as she slept, knowing sleep would be long in coming tonight.

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I sat up, bolt straight. Moonlight shone in through my balcony doors, as I scanned the room, heart pumping and eyes wide. I had no idea how long I had been asleep, or what had roused me so thoroughly. I looked over at my bed. Hermione was thrashing wildly. Her eyes were clenched with fear, and her hands were balled into fists. I stood, going over towards the bed to calm her.

"Sh..." I whispered, reaching over and stroking her hair awkwardly. She froze, as though she were playing dead. "Shh..." She started whimpering, tears pouring out beneath her still closed eyes. I stroked her hair again, and her eyes flashed open.

She opened her mouth as though she were going to speak, before simply rushing out of the room, with tears still pouring down her cheeks.

I didn't move for a long time after she left. This just got stranger and stranger.

A/N: Ah, hello again, readers! I fear this chapter does not quite live up to my previous one, but nonetheless, here it is! The third is already in the making, so it should not be long in coming. I may be further persuaded to update quickly by numerous reviews wink wink

Until next time, a smidgeon bit of a preview for you:

"I assure you, Mr. Malfoy, I know more about this school than you believe."
"Do you, Professor? Well how about the fact that one of your students is practically killing themselves, and you can't even see it!"
"Mr. Malfoy, are you implying that one of my students is trying to commit suicide? If you know something, please tell me so we can get them the proper medical care at St. Mungo's." I shook my head, sighing.
"I know nothing, Professor. Good day."