A/N: I know it's unusual, to have two consecutive chapters at once, but shrug I had this stuff ready, so I'll just post it now before I forget. Once again, thanks goes out to Lynnette.
It was early morning when Hermione awoke, groggy from sleep. She stretched on her bed, then relaxed again on her cushiony covers. It was going to be a good day; she could feel it in her bones.
She then reached for her toothbrush and paste, and slowly made her way to the loo to get ready for the great day ahead of her. Brushing her teeth thoroughly, she scrutinized her image on the mirror. She looked a mess. Her clothes were disheveled, the 'Billabong' logo on her shirt folded in such a way that it looked to be only 'Illabog' now. Her usually untamable hair was more unruly, bits sticking up and others just lying completely flat. She looked like a disaster.
To fix the disaster in front of her, she cut her usual three minute teeth brushing down to two, though she knew her parents would be ashamed if they found out. But her hair needed immediate attention; it looked like a small animal could have died in there.
Coming out of the bathroom, she looked around on her bedside table for the brush, only to suddenly remember that Ron had borrowed it. She desperately needed her brush, but she couldn't go to Ron in this state; he was a large part of the reason she wanted to look nice in the first place. Sighing, she returned to the bathroom and attempted to tame her hair with water and her fingers. Surprisingly, it worked well enough to flatten it down, for the time being, at least.
Then, she put on a white terry robe on top of her wrinkled pajamas, and headed down the tower to go give the boys a visit.
Harry woke to the sound of someone knocking on his door. For a moment, he assumed it was Ron, coming back late from his so-called 'Late shift,' but then he remembered that one, Ron never knocked to get in, and two, he had already come in a few hours before. Rising from his bed groggily, he reached for his glasses and shuffled toward the door.
'Who is it?' he asked, yawning. Dawn hadn't broken yet, so he was walking around half-blind, even with his glasses on.
'It's me, Harry,' said a familiar voice through the door. He opened it, welcoming his other best friend. It was now the second time in less than two weeks that she came up to the boys' tower. He frowned.
'What're you doing here, Hermione? Especially at this hour??
'I came to take back something. I think Ron borrowed it.' She sounded urgent, like it was something very important.
'What is it? I'll fetch it for you. He's had a…busy night.'
'My brush. You know, with the worn out wooden handle, with my initials carved into the bottom of the handle? Ron borrowed it from me a while ago' I think my hair may need it more than his does.' she said with a small chuckle. But Harry's frown deepened.
'You took it back, Herm, over a week ago!' Now she was frowning too.
'No I didn't. I swear I didn't take it back. How could I? I haven't been up here in ages.'
Harry was suspicious. Could Malfoy have had anything to do with Hermione's lack of memory? Or was he just being paranoid Potter?
'Hermione,' he said slowly, watching her face carefully for signs that she was under a spell. 'You came here, exactly a week and two days ago to retrieve your hairbrush. I remember. I was here.'
She just looked at him oddly, like he was speaking gibberish.
'No, I didn't. I just did Prefect duties and then went to bed early…I think.' She looked unsure now, not trusting her own memory, which was, most of the time, flawless. After all, how could one remember each word of Hogwarts: A History without a perfect memory? Harry's sixth sense was going off like mad in his head. He fought to keep his voice even.
'Hermione, can you tell me what you did last night??
'Sure I can.' she replied, puzzled at his behavior. And if it had been a week and two days ago, this statement would have been true. But now, Harry watched as she struggled to even make a guess at what she herself had done only several hours ago.
'I read the seventh chapter of the Potions book again, just to check my essay over, and then I talked to Colin for a bit about muggle pictures, then he gave me a…' she trailed off.
'He gave you a…what, Hermione?' Harry repeated, anxious.
'I don't know, Harry. My memory's kind of a blur from there. I remember nothing much until my head hit my pillow and I slept without a dream.'
It was as he'd suspected. She, his best friend, had been lured by one of Malfoy's boys somehow, just like Ron. Except she was getting the other end of the deal. She had no idea what was happening to her. It almost killed him to see her so confused, and not be able to tell her anything.
'Harry, do you think someone's messing around with memory spells?' she asked, her face so expectant.
'Maybe.' he replied grimly. He wanted to tell her. He did. But he couldn't risk being crippled.
As his thoughts warred with each other, he heard someone stirring behind him. His instincts told him it was Ron.
'Let's go outside.' he said quickly, pushing Hermione out of the door. He followed suit, and closed the door behind them quietly. He didn't want Ron involved in this.
'You know Ron,' he said with a half-hearted smile. 'He needs his beauty sleep.'
Hermione did not return the smile.
'Listen, I'm sure it's nothing, 'Mione. I'll ask Ron about the brush when he wakes up. I could be mistaken. You go and don't worry about it. And ask Ginny for a brush when she wakes up. I'm sure she뭠l have a spare.' He forced a grin, which turned out to be more of a grimace.
Hermione frowned again, and turning around, walked slowly back down the tower steps, though Harry knew she was bursting at the seams with questions. He knew she was just being considerate for Ron's sake. Merlin knew how much Harry despised him right then. Ron and his stupid ventures with Malfoy; what were they all really doing to those girls besides the sex? The more Harry thought about Hermione's behavior, the more he hated Ron's decision and Malfoy's treachery.
