"Malfoy," Hermione murmured, her hazel eyes fixed on the figure leaning out of the ledge at the Astronomy Tower.
Neville had fainted out of exhaustion as soon as he mentioned the name. Seamus and Lavender had offered to take him to the hospital wing and Parvati had accompanied the first year back to her room. That left Hermione, Ron and Harry to check out what was actually happening at the Astronomy Tower.
"Blimey! What in the world is he doing up there?" Ron exclaimed, stopping short beside Hermione. Like countless others, he too looked up to see Draco. "I don't reckon he's practicing Quidditch. He hasn't got his broom."
Somehow Ron's remarks sparked the neurons in Hermione's brain cells. Didn't Seamus say that Draco mentioned something about leaving behind a memory earlier? Hermione gasped as the answer dawned upon her. She spun around and took off at a neck-breaking speed.
"Oi, Hermione!" Ron called out after her. Turning to an equally perturbed Harry, he said, "Come on, Harry!"
Malfoy, please hold on, Hermione prayed silently as the door to the Astronomy Tower loomed in sight. Hold on, please.
Ron and Harry managed to catch up with her. They halted in front of her, panting.
"Where exactly are you going?" Harry questioned her as he pushed back his glasses.
"The Astronomy Tower," Hermione replied. Her eyes flitted nervously to the door. "It's Malfoy, guys. I have to stop him."
"But how are you getting up there?" Ron cocked his head in the Tower's direction.
"There are things in this world called staircases, Ron," she shot back sarcastically.
"But that'll take forever! Do you know how high the Tower is?"
"Do you have a better idea then?" Hermione snapped. Harry noticed that under her breath, she was anxiously muttering Malfoy's name.
"We can apparate," Ron said simply.
Hermione stared at him, her eyebrows narrowed together. She was definitely crossed. Harry seemed to agree with what was on her mind.
"Ron, I don't think we can do that on Hogwarts' ground," Harry reminded him weakly.
"Well, that's because you don't have Fred and George as your brothers," Ron explained darkly. "Come on. I'll show you the Apparation Point."
The trio loped through the hole behind the portrait of the Fat Lady, who they had inconveniently woken up from her beauty sleep. Initially, she had refused to let them enter. But after numerous pleadings (and seeing Hermione nearly blowing her up), she swung open to reveal the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room.
Ron rushed over to the fireplace. He pulled out his wand and tapped the four corners of the fireplace. When he inched backwards, Harry and Hermione opted for the same move.
"You'd better stay back," Ron advised. He set a firm gaze on the mantelpiece and said, "Ouvert."
The wall began to rumble. The fireplace vibrated violently. Harry swore he could feel the room shuddering, ready to collapse. He wonderd if this was how earthquake tremors feel like. After what seemed to be a full minute, the fireplace had segregated itself from the wall. In place of the fireplace was a low-ceilinged tunnel.
"Okay, this is how you apparate from her," Ron explained as they made their way into the tunnel, crouching and ducking their heads from the ceiling. Fortunately, they arrived in a deeper passageway, allowing them to stand properly. "You think of a certain place where you want to be at and concentrate really hard on it. Then you say the spell. It was a complicated one but Fred managed to make it easier somehow. So all you have to say is… oh no!"
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked.
Ron looked at his friends sheepishly. "I can't remember the spell. It has something to do with the rainbow. Richard of … Richard of …"
"Richard of York gave battle in vain," Harry finished for him. "The colours of the rainbow."
Ron nodded. "I don't know why they bothered," he muttered before turning to Hermione. "Alright, Hermione. You'll lead. We'll just hold on to your hands. Think of the place and say the spell. No wands needed."
Ron clutched the handrails of the spiral staircase, his stomach retching. Fred and George didn't tell him that they would be sucked into a vortex! They were vacuumed through a whirly rainbow-coloured vortex within the span of a nanosecond. At the speed they were going, Ron had been sure that all his tendrils and entrails would be spread out beside him when he landed. His thoughts remained an imagination, but it was a nauseating ride nonetheless.
Harry and Hermione had better luck. They sat on the steps, dredging their minds of the awful colours that had been implicated into their sight. Hermione had a faster recovery. Shaking her head one last time, she stood up to make her way up the last flight of stairs.
"Maybe you two should retreat to the Common Room," Hermione suggested, scrutinizing her friends' conditions. "Ron, you look terribly pale. And Harry, you don't look too well either."
"Are you sure you'll be alright going up into the Tower on your on?" Harry expressed his platonic concern. Behind him, Ron retched over the railings once more.
"Well, Malfoy wouldn't hesitate to jump off the Tower if he sees the both of you there," Hermione made a feeble attempt to joke.
Harry shrugged. Flashing her a good-luck smile, he took Ron by the arm and led him down the meandering staircases. It was ardous, especially since Ron's face threatened to vomit after every stop or so. Gradually, they made it to the foot of the tower.
Meanwhile, Hermione scurried up the steps. With her right hand clenching her wand, she reached the platform. An array of Hogwarts teachers greeted her sight.
"Granger," Professor McGonagall briskly acknowledged her. "We're glad to see you. Do you know why Mr Malfoy is acting in such a ridiculous manner?"
Hermione remained silent. Instead, she tried the heavy doors leading into the Astronomy Tower. She lifted the ornate brass handles of a moon and a star and pulled it towards her. It was locked.
Pointing her wand in between the doors, she chanted, "Alohamora."
"It's useless, Ms Granger," Professor Flitwick squeaked. "We've tried that earlier but the door is still locked."
Hermione pulled the doors open successfully. Professor Flitwick understood the whole situation. He added on, "Unless, of course, the spell is cast such that only selected parties are able to penetrate it. Mr Malfoy must have had you on his mind when he cast the spell on the door."
At his words, Hermione sensed that her face had gone red. Composing herself as best as she could, she turned to the teachers questioningly, "I'm sorry, but what did you mean Professor Flitwick?"
"To put it simply, Ms Granger," Professor McGonagall interjected. "It seems that you're the only one who can talk Malfoy out of this mess. Tell me, can you see any energy shield in front of you?"
Hermione took along look at the entrance before nodding. The energy shield was faintly visible, glimmering in front of the entrance in violet sparks. If Professor McGonagall had not asked her about the energy shield, Hermione was certain she would simply walk through it and get electrocuted. Depending on the type of magic the caster made use of, the electrocution could be deadly. Hermione had read somewhere that energy shields from the Dark Arts could kill the trespasser faster than the Avada Kedavra curse. His soul would then be used to strengthen the shield.
"I'll get Malfoy out, Professor," Hermione promised. "But could I ask for a favour?" At Professor McGonagall's nod, she continued, "Please don't expel Malfoy over this incident. If there's anyone to blame, Professor, it would be me. I'm at fault, Professor. I failed to control the students' actions towards Malfoy. I believe that Malfoy's outburst is due to this reason. But I didn't make enough efforts to stop them. I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall."
Professor McGonagall assessed her words, weighing out the options in her mind. Secretly, she was reluctant to take any serious action on Draco. The hard time he had hung from the periphery of her awareness. The boy had not asked to be born into the Malfoy family. Professor McGonagall could not help but feel sorry for the young Malfoy. He had been raised wrongly by his parents.
"I understand, Ms Granger," Professor McGonagall broke the silence. But I'm afraid I have to take ten points from you for your negligence. Back to the task at hand, it's confirmed now that you're the only one who can talk Malfoy out of this madness. You're the only one who can see the energy shield. We can't."
When Hermione still did not budge, she ordered, "Now go in there and get Malfoy out! Do bring him to the Hospital Wing later. We'll meet him there."
Taking a deep breath, Hermione pointed her wand at the energy shield and firmly said, "Traversa."
The energy shield dissipated in a blinding flash of white light. Hermione shut her eyes to blank out the brightness. After a while, she opened them again and strode into the room.