The hall before them was quiet, since everyone was eating breakfast or getting ready for morning classes. Hermione and Ginny had their heads together, pretending to gossip as they kept close behind Nina. She shuffled slowly, but her path was clear and she didn't look around to see if anyone was following her.

"Nina!" Hermione called, but the girl kept moving. Her speed didn't change, and she didn't look up. Ginny's eyebrows knit together, but she didn't say anything.

"Nina, wait! You dropped something!" Hermione tried again, but the girl still didn't respond.

Ginny closed the distance between herself and the young Hufflepuff, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, we thought you dropped-"

Nina whipped around, her wand out and held to Ginny's throat. "Don't touch me!" She whispered. Her voice was so quiet that Hermione almost didn't hear her as she caught up to them.

"Hey, hey, no need for that. We just wanted to make sure you hadn't dropped this!" Ginny's false cheer was met with a glare. She smiled and put her hands up to show she wasn't holding her own wand.

"I didn't drop anything. I wasn't carrying anything. Leave me alone, alright?" Nina's words were dull, but each syllable sounded like a threat.

"Alright, my mistake." Ginny backed away, and Nina put her wand away and turned on her heel. She disappeared into the Hufflepuff common room without another word.

"I suppose I could be wrong," Ginny whispered as they walked quickly away, "But that doesn't seem like something a girl like her would do. Even if she's grieving...I mean, you don't see me out here acting like that…'' She said. Hermione met her eyes, and a meaningful moment passed between them.

"I guess that adds to the mystery." Hermione said, and when Ginny looked at her quizzically, she began to explain what had happened to Malfoy.

"Whoa, so you really think that girl is part of a plan to kill Malfoy?" Ginny's eyes were wide, but Hermione could tell she was concerned. Ginny held no sympathy for Draco, but she wasn't the kind of girl who could wish any more darkness on the world.

"After what just happened, I am pretty sure she has something to do with it. But I asked you, because the spell on Malfoy is really advanced magic. McGonagall and Pomfrey have no idea what it is, and I haven't been able to find anything on it."

Ginny put her hand on Hermione's arm in support. "You'll figure it out, Hermione."

"That's what Malfoy said. Called me a know-it-all and said I'd figure it out…" Hermione quirked her mouth, a half smile on her face as she tried to keep her anxiety from overwhelming her.

Ginny made a face that Hermione couldn't quite read, but she didn't comment.

"Ginny, could you help me? I have to keep doing research, so could you-"

"I'm on it," Ginny cut her off. "I'll send an owl to Harry and see if I can borrow his cloak. Honestly, he should probably know anyway. The aurors are probably going to have to get involved if someone is…"

"If someone is hunting down the last of the Death Eaters?" Hermione questioned, Ginny giving word to the same fears that had begun to haunt her in her quiet moments.

"It's possible, isn't it?"

They both nodded, and the silence stretched between them.

Author's Note: Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. I have missed this story, and life just got away from me for a bit. But I'm hoping to get back to posting at least semi-regularly. I am ready for this story to get STEAMY. And not just because of Draco's heating issues.

Thank you for the reviewer who let me know that the post was off! You are the BEST!