Chapter Four — Plans

Harry groaned and reached into the bin in his room. Making a face at a sticky blue substance that engulfed his hand; he delved further into the depths of rubbish and pulled out his letter from Hogwarts. Even though he knew it off by heart, he read it again. Adjusting his glasses, he began to pace around the room before smoothing out the letter and reading it for a last time. Gathering that he would no longer divulge any more information from it, he threw the paper into the corner of the room and picked up the phone.

Tom's voice echoed in his ears, 'you should go back. Wherever I went, Hogwarts was my home and I would hazard a guess that it's yours too. You can still look for whatever you seek there.'

Ignoring the fact that he was now trusting Tom's judgement over his own, he wearily dialed Hermione's number into the phone.

The click at the other end heralded a faint 'hello' from his best friend.

'Hermione,' he sighed.

'Harry? Are you okay?' She sounded tired, preoccupied.

There was no sense beating around the bush, he had to air what he was feeling. 'Do you think I should go back to Hogwarts this year?'

There was a pause at the other end of the phone and Harry definitely thought he heard Hermione shushing someone. 'Hello?' he ventured.

'Yes. Sorry Harry. Just a bit of a problem at my end… I really wholeheartedly think you should.'

'Why?' He needed reassurance.

'Because you can still do everything you want to even if you are at school. You won't be endangering anyone; you'll just have to… I don't know; maybe distance yourself a bit from certain things.'

Knowing that she meant Ginny, Harry involuntarily grinned ironically.

'Besides Harry, I want you to be there and I know that Ron does too.'

'Have you heard from him?'

He could almost visualise Hermione shaking her head and biting her bottom lip. 'No… but then again, neither of us has been in contact.'

'What's been going on with you anyway?' Harry asked inquisitively.

'Nothing,' Hermione said a little too quickly.

'We'll talk soon,' Harry promised, knowing that Hermione was deliberately withholding something.

'Oh and Harry… there's something else I needed to tell you,' she paused. Something in the pause made Harry's body tense. 'Professor McGonagall told me that Draco's coming back.'

'No!' Harry shouted disbelievingly.

It had been all over the news recently that Draco Malfoy had turned himself in to Aurors after managing to escape from Severus Snape. Harry couldn't help but feel stunned that he had not only managed to get out of doing any time in Azkaban, but that he was returning to the place where he contributed to the death of the Headmaster.

Hermione swallowed at the end of the phone. 'He'll be protected by an Auror but it's been decided that Hogwarts is the best place for him. McGonagall's worried that his peers will launch an attack on him, after all, some of their fathers are death eaters and Voldemort does not deal kindly with traitors. He'll have to be resorted.'

Harry felt the weight of his head collapse onto the phone and he groaned convulsively. 'He may still end up in Slytherin though,' he said hopefully.

Hermione paused. 'I think McGonagall's been talking to the Sorting Hat, it seems unlikely.'

'I can't just act as though nothing happened!' Harry snapped.

'I don't think anyone would expect you to. The best thing would be to ignore him completely.'

'This doesn't make me want to come back Hermione,' Harry said bitterly.

'I know. But before you called me, you already knew you would. I'm just preparing you.'

'Thanks… and I'll see you tomorrow then,' Harry paused. There were things left unsaid and one really big lump in his throat wanted to say something a little more intimate to Hermione but his brain stopped him showing any closeness. 'Bye… Hermione,' he said sadly.

'Goodbye Harry… I can't wait to see you.'

He put the phone down.

She put the phone down.

'Why tell him about Draco?' Snape asked.

'Just a warning,' she said plaiting her hair absentmindedly.

'He didn't even ask how you knew so much,' Snape mused.

'If you're trying to infer that he's an idiot, then don't bother I already know what you think.' Hermione leaned her hot head against the wall. She ached all over. She had been snapping more at Snape recently and put her strange behaviour down to the feeling of dread when she knew Snape would bring up something she didn't want to do. Ultimately, he held total power over her.

Inevitably, he decided it was the right time.

'We have a job to do Hermione,' Snape said quietly. Hermione didn't even care that he had used her first name. She knew it was just to try and motivate her to accomplish her unhappy task.

Hermione nodded and opened the ceiling high wardrobe in her room. She subconsciously cast a floating charm wordlessly and levitated the body out onto her bed. Snape was impressed but decided it was the wrong time to comment on her use of non-verbal spells.

The two of them looked down at Mad-Eye Moody, Snape eying him with dislike, Hermione looking at him with a mixture of guilt and fear. He was fine, except for the excessive amounts of sleeping potion that Snape had been plugging through his system until they decided what to do with him.

It had all been so easy until Hermione discovered that things no longer added up in her head. She had desperately needed answers. It was a stroke of luck that led her to Snape and Draco, but what she didn't understand was why Snape had not realised that she was tailing them. Somehow she knew that he was fully aware that she was following him, but was inexplicably not doing anything about it. The moment of total comprehension that led to her stunning an Auror continued to play on her mind all the time. She still couldn't believe that she was capable of such impulsive behaviour.

She couldn't wipe clean the half fearful and half disgusted looks on the faces of Snape and Draco. Deep in her soul, there was still that sinking feeling that Snape had still not forgiven her for interfering in his capture.

'Go and stand somewhere he can't see you,' Hermione told Snape looking away from the man in front of her. Snape did as she said and swept wordlessly behind the bookcase. Usually, this obvious hiding place would never have worked on an Auror of the calibre of Moody, but then he had been asleep for a long time.

'Ennervate!' Hermione yelled, wand pointed at Moody. Before he could fully revive she said quickly, 'Obliviate!' Moody's eyes both rolled back into their sockets and he fell to the floor again. After picking himself up Mad-Eye looked around, his eye spinning precariously in its socket. Suddenly, both eyes found their target of Hermione and Mad eye stood up.

'Death Eater!' he yelled with venom and sent a stunner straight at Hermione. It hit its mark and Hermione flopped lifelessly onto the sheepskin rug in her room. Snape quickly stunned Moody before his all seeing eye found its next focus.

Sweeping out from behind his hiding place Snape picked up Hermione gently and murmured, 'Ennervate.'

She revived and threw her hands over her head as if she was under further attack. Snape lightly batted her across the cheek with his fingers and made her eyes adjust to his face.

'It seems that he is still under the assumption that you have allowed me to escape and also kept him incarcerated for the best part of two weeks.'

Hermione rose shakily to her feet from out of Snape's arms and motioned that he go back to his position. It would be so much easier if he could be the one to cast the charms, but unfortunately, Moody's memory would have to go back a whole lot further to believe that Snape had nothing to do with his predicament. They both decided that it was best if Snape simply taught Hermione the charm for herself.

'Ennervate!' she yelled again. This time she followed it quickly with, 'Obliviate!'

The dazed look again swept itself over Moody's facial features. This time he looked around meaninglessly for as much as two minutes. Shaking his head roughly, he began to gain comprehension and made eye contact with Hermione. Tracing his eyes rapidly over her he began to yell, 'CRUC…'

Suddenly, he fell to the floor again, immobilised by Snape.

'I don't think he's quite ready to be released, Miss Granger,' Snape said snidely.

'I know!' she yelled in frustration.

'If you had done this at the beginning, not only would there be no search party looking for him, but it would also be a lot easier to change his memories,' Snape preached.

'Just… Just get back behind the bookcase okay?' she pleaded.

Hermione stood strong and purposeful; she was not going to be defied this time. He was not going to catch her. She was not going to Azkaban for helping a bitter resentful, sometimes downright nasty man.

'Ennervate!' she shouted. 'Obliviate! Obliviate! OBLIVIATE!' she yelled with purpose, her voice increasing in volume with each repetition.

Moody stumbled towards her and his eyes looked up as if for guidance. She told him firmly without being able to look at him, 'You've been in your house these last two weeks. You're not sure what happened, but you think Death Eaters are to blame. You were heading to the Ministry to report this.' She carefully guided him down the stairs in her house and let him out the front door.

From Hermione's room, she and Snape watched as Moody walked away mutinously, heading for the Ministry building.

'You know it's probably a matter of time before someone breaks that charm,' Snape told her firmly.

'I plan to resolve that problem later.'

Snape nodded and sat down on the edge of her bed surveying the room for reading material.

'Will you be okay when I go back to Hogwarts?'

'I'm sure a life as an apprentice dentist will be equally as fulfilling as what I had planned for myself,' he said bitterly.

'I hope you read enough to convince my father that you actually know what you're doing,' she said nervously.

'Miss Granger, I am more worried about whether I can keep my mouth shut about how dull this occupation is going to be.'

Hermione blushed, annoyed. 'At least no one would ever think about looking for you here.'

'Indeed. Most would believe that I would rather drown myself.'

She bit her tongue to stop her mouth from saying anything stupid. 'Any words of wisdom before I start school?'

'Just a few. Watch Mr Weasley carefully.'

'Why?' She asked startled.

'He is obviously out of character if he has contacted neither yourself nor Potter. I would simply suggest that you try and get to the bottom of whatever he is trying to do.'

'You know something!' she said wide-eyed.

'I know many things Miss Granger, none of which concern you.'

'Just like you won't tell me how you got that bloody nose. I don't see why you don't just mend it yourse…' Hermione was cut off with a vindictive glance from Snape. He stared at her for a second before walking straight past her and pulling the covers back on her bed.

Rudely, Snape sat down and pulled the covers over him, resting his back on the headboard and opening a book about gum disease. Hermione picked up a book of her own and disgruntled, settled down on the floor wondering what Ron was doing.

Ron was in agony in his room. He had told no one about the exact happenings in the meeting but his arm was in a constant throbbing mess of pain. He lay back on his bed and tried to picture something happier. Memories of Harry and Hermione came back to him, and long days spent with his family in Egypt. Anything that could take his mind of the pain was very welcome.

When he opened his eyes he found Ginny staring at him. As he started to say something she shushed his words away.

'I haven't come to preach,' she said shakily. 'I just didn't want you to get hurt.'

Ron stiffened as her fingers came near his left arm and protectively raised his right so that she couldn't get near it. She prised his fingers away and gathered his left, limp arm in her small hands. She moved it away from him and Ron closed his eyes, wondering what she was doing. Suddenly he felt something wet on the arm and instinctively went to move it, but Ginny held onto his hand firmly. Using a small sponge, she rinsed clear liquid over the entire arm, focussing mainly on the forearm where the Dark Mark gleamed ominously.

Ron felt his entire body relaxing as she gently massaged the sponge over his tired muscles, starting at the tips of his fingers and ending near his shoulder. Just for a few minutes, the weight of Voldemort dropped from him and all he could feel was the soothing balm of his sister's hands.

The liquid was wiped away by a fluffy towel and he heard Ginny bite something and then felt her small deft hands wrapping something around his arm. Looking down, he saw that she was bandaging the entire area where the Ddark Mark lay and miraculously it relieved him of most of the pain. As much as he hated to admit it, his sister was brilliant. Finishing the bandage with medical tape, she stood back and admired her handiwork.

'Gin… that was bloody amazing,' Ron said in awe.

She laughed softly. 'When you boys wouldn't let me play Quidditch, all I had to do was watch mum dress your wounds. You learn things.'

'Sorry I worry you,' Ron said sheepishly.

Ginny nodded and wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye. 'I know you are, but you have to try I suppose. Just don't get hurt, okay?'

'With you here to patch me up? No way!' Ron grinned.

Ginny smiled. 'You always come to me, okay?'

'I will Gin, I promise.'