A/N: It's back! I've finally gotten out of my writes block and you can now read the newest installment of the story that I've written with the most reviews! LOL. Thanks guys, I feel loved. Like I said, they don't love me here…they lock me in small rooms with a computer and subject me to my friend poking me saying 'Are you done?...Are you done?..." Nah, just kidding. But thanks guys, really. Ok, enough rambling. STORY!
Chapter 15: When the Cold of Winter Comes…
Hermione laid her head on Ron's shoulder and sobbed lightly. "It was…It was him! In Hogsmead. The Death Eaters destroyed everything. The whole village was engulfed in flames! And Harry and Ginny…They were…They were dead! And then he came…He came and killed you!"
Hermione gave a racking sob and Ron pulled her close. "It's ok…Hermione, it's ok. It was all a dream. Don't worry. I wont let anything happen to you."
Hermione looked up into his eyes. She thought of an old country song she had heard one when visiting her cousin in America. "It's amazing the way you speak right to my heart. Without saying a word, you can cut through the dark…"
Hermione looked over to the window. "It's morning…"
Ron rubbed her back. "Yup. What do you have planned for today?"
Hermione smiled. "I'm going to the library and see if I can find anything about my parents…Or maybe Dumbledore could tell me."
But Ginny had just come downstairs and overheard what Hermione said. "You'll have to go to the library." Sitting down, she continued in a low whisper with scared eyes. "HE found a Horcrux and took Harry with him."
Hermione nodded. "I hope they're ok…"
Ron smiled. "They'll be fine. I know they will."
…………..
Hermione made her way through the cold corridors toward the library. The snow had finally come and it blew past the windows in shimmering swirls. Slipping quietly into the library, she found the old school records and Daily Prophets in a bin by the back window. Pulling the box close, she sat on the window seat and began to dig through. There she found what she was looking for. In the box of old records, she found old house listings, Quidditch records, and many other things. The broom and quaffle were explained immediately- both her parents had been chasers on their house teams. Digging into the house registers, she found another answer. Her mother had been in Ravenclaw and her father in Gryffindor and it also said that both had been prefects. She couldn't believe all this information was here. Here, for everyone to see…Everyone…What if Death Eaters returned? Why would the school leave this information out for anyone to see?...
Hermione placed the files back in the box and made her way to Madame Pince. Leaning her arms on the desk, Hermione looked up. "Excuse me. I was wondering why that box over there containing information about past and current students was left sitting on the floor by the window. What if someone used the information for evil?"
But Madame Pince was staring at Hermione like she was insane. "My dear, what are you talking about? There is no box over there."
Hermione turned. There it was, plain as day. "But Madame Pince-"
"Come dear, you need to leave."
Hermione was pushed to the door. "Fine." Hermione opened the door and left quickly.
……….
Hermione and Ron sat under a tree at the edge of the forest later on, sipping hot chocolate. Hermione was telling Ron about the bizarre happenings in the library. "…and she said there was no box there!" Hermione finished.
Ron looked off in thought. Finally after a few minutes he said, "Maybe…and don't tell me this couldn't work…Maybe Dumbledore enchanted it so only you could see it."
Hermione looked at him as she never had before. "Ron! You're brilliant! That would make perfect sense. Since Dumbledore's off with Harry, he couldn't answer my questions. The box of information told me exactly what I needed...Well…almost…"
Ron looked at her. "Almost? What didn't it explain?"
Hermione looked out across the lake. "It explained the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor crests, the broom, and the quaffle…but that still leaves the cat, the owl, and the stars. I mean, the Hogwarts crest and the wand are obvious…" Hermione looked down to her wrist and turned the bracelet as she looked at the charms. I just don't understand it-"
But Hermione never finished her sentence. At that very moment, five brooms descended to the ground and their riders raced inside. Hermione stood up. "What in the world is going on?"
Ron shielded his eyes and looked towards a black figure running towards them. "That looks like Harry!"
Hermione looked as well. "It is Harry!"
Harry stopped in front of them, out of breath and glasses falling off his nose. He quickly fixed them and looked up. "It's Dumbledore! He's been attacked!"
……………….
Draco smiled to himself as he slipped back into his room. Closing the door silently, he pulled a book out from under his shirt. "Perfect. Just what I was looking for." He sat down on the bed and wiped off the dusty cover. The old, tattered book was a deep blood red in color and its gilt lettered title read "The Darkest of Arts". Draco opened the cover carefully and found the printed number inside. 1541…This book was over four hundred years old…He had been told it was one of the last printed before the wizarding community had banned the book. Turning the charmed pages carefully, he saw many curses, poisons, and what clearly would be Unforgivable Curses if they were known by the ministry. Draco smiled to himself. This is just what I need. he thought.
Pulling a small cage of mice that he had been given to practice on out of his bag, he selected a curse. "Hmm…effect: causes victim to…oh my. Causes death within fifteen minutes…" He pulled a struggling mouse from the cage. "Burnifi-" but in mid-curse, he stopped. "What am I doing? I don't want to kill him…Just…" Draco placed the mouse back into the cage and turned the page. "Hmm…Alright. Effect: causes victim to experience the symptoms of the Black Death…NON FATAL" Draco looked hard at the page. "Should I? I want…I don't know…" Draco thought for a moment then a defiant look slid into his eyes. "Yes."
Closing the book, he shrunk it and slipped it into a small locked box in his trunk. Sliding the mice under his bed, he placed his wand back in his pocket and went back to the common room.
………………
Harry sat in the common room with Ron and Hermione. Hermione was sobbing quietly. Harry looked over. "It happened so fast…I'm not even sure who it was…"
Ron rubbed Hermione's back and asked Harry, "Did you find the…you-know-what?"
Harry nodded. "But we couldn't touch it. He was attacked right as we went to grab it."
Hermione looked up. "We have to find out who did it."
"But how Hermione? How are we going to find that out?" Harry asked.
Hermione thought back to the box in the library. "I have and idea."
