Chapter Twenty-One
As the weeks went on, the rumours about Hermione's stay in the hospital wing gradually died down. Narcissa Malfoy had her work cut out for her but ever since her arrival at school the Slytherins seemed to be calming down little by little.
The only thing that wasn't improving was the wound on Hermione's arm and the research that would hopefully lead to a solution at one point.
Narcissa and Draco were regular guests at Hermione and Fleur's quarter and often enough it was the other way round. But most of the time Fleur worked alone with Narcissa. Fleur's tenacity and Narcissa's relatively large amount of free time, especially compared to Draco and Hermione who were doing their N.E.W.T.S, not to mention Hermione's Head Girl duties and teaching responsibilities, meant they were hopeful to make good progress.
Without the dagger, they had nothing to go on but the books that Narcissa had retrieved from Bellatrix' room. The books filled four whole floor to ceiling book shelves and it seemed an overwhelming amount to simply sift through and hope for the best.
Fleur and Narcissa limited their conversations to the problem at hand. There was an unspoken agreement that breaks were cut down to a minimum and tea would be taken while working. Fleur was still suspicious of Narcissa's motives and Narcissa knew she had to tread lightly. Both of them flatout refused to see that they had more in common than they thought.
The weeks dragged on and Hermione had asked Madam Pomfrey to up the dose of the lidocain. They had taken to disinfecting it three times a day and adding lavender extract in hopes to keep the little blisters at bay that had started to appear. After a close examination, Madam Pomfrey had concluded that it looked like Hermione had burned herself, which, of course, she hadn't.
As bad as it was it at least gave Narcissa an idea what she might look for. Clearly, Bellatrix had devised her own curse from a plethora of dark spells in her books. Or she had layered them on the spot, but Narcissa knew that Bellatrix was too fond of creating her own spells.
They were still hoping to find the dagger. Whenever Narcissa had an idea of where it might be hidden, they sent a volunteer house elf. So far, she had always returned empty handed.
Hermione never complained about the pain or how the numbness made it virtually impossible to properly help Daphne with the preparation of the ingredients in their Potions class. But those who knew what to look for, saw how she instinctively flexed her hand as if to test if it was still there. Hermione had developed a well-disguised habit of rubbing her arm, momentarily spiking the pain, just to avoid going crazy from the faint but constant throbbing.
What was even more bothersome than the unnerving feeling of running out of time, were the rumours. They ranged from Hermione suffering from a war related injury to wild theories of what said injury could be. The rumour mill was as active as ever, even amongst teachers.
One day, Ginny overheard her Muggle History teacher speak to the new Muggle Science teacher about how it was very unusual that Narcissa Malfoy spent so much time with Fleur Delacour. They had of course heard about who Narcissa was but they clearly had not grasped the scope of it or otherwise they wouldn't have used words like 'loose morals' and 'scandalous behaviour'.
She didn't even need to go in that direction but when Ginny picked up on the conversation, she slowly passed by the two teachers in the hallway and unmistakably heard them pity a gormless Hermione. Now that was a word that Ginny had never even considered hearing in one sentence with her best friend's name but there it was. There was no doubt about it.
Hermione and Ginny had arranged to do their homework together in the common room this evening. Only when they actually tried to get anything done, the ruckus caused by too many students playing, chatting and laughing disrupted their thoughts. So they had opted for Hermione's quarters.
They found Narcissa and Fleur in the study, going through book after book in silence. Hermione gave Fleur a quick peck on the lips and announced that they had fled from the common room and would be in the sitting room doing their homework.
In the newfound silence Ginny and Hermione were done much faster than anticipated.
'I'm still always surprised when we finish so soon. I'm so used to helping Harry and your brother that I completely lost any concept of time for regular homework efforts,' Hermione laughed.
'You chose to be friends with those two dunderheads,' Ginny replied.
'I miss them,' Hermione sighed. 'Hogwarts is sorf of strange without them getting into trouble.'
'If you miss it so much, I can get myself into trouble and you can save me,' Ginny challenged.
'No, thank you. Just because I miss them, doesn't mean that I want to find three headed dogs in the castle or chase after basilisks. I like it as quiet as it is. It's just weird, not having them around constantly. I used to just go and talk to Harry. Or yell at your brother, for that matter,' Hermione smiled and allowed herself a dreamy look as she sighed again.
'I know. Writing letters isn't the same. But at least they are doing what they love and so are we. Sometimes I'm a little scared of how life will be after school. We won't automatically see each other every day. We'll have lives and responsibilities and all that. I won't be able to just walk downstairs and knock on your door,' Ginny mused.
'Oh Ginny,' Hermione cried out and threw her arms around her friend. 'You are always welcome at Shell Cottage. I want you to know that. Whenever you feel like it, I want you to step through the floo and visit. Is that clear?'
Ginny nodded. She was very touched by Hermione's insistence.
'You have it all figured out, haven't you,' Ginny asked and Hermione. She had never thought about it much but now, that she did, she figured that, yes, she had it all figured out. She would teach at Hogwarts and live with Fleur at Shell Cottage. And she would be happy. Hermione nodded. She knew that Ginny had plans too but unlike Hermione, she didn't know if they would work out. Playing professional Quidditch didn't only just depend on talent and skill. One also had to be at the right place at the right time to be discovered.
'Say, do they never take any breaks?' Ginny asked to change the topic to a more lighthearted topic.
Hermione shook her head.
'No, they try not to socialise,' Hermione explained and Ginny laughed.
'That's funny. There is a ridiculous rumour going around that they are having an affair when in reality they don't even talk to each other unless they must,' Ginny kept laughing.
'WHAT?!'
The two girls whirled around and saw Narcissa standing in the room, Fleur entering right behind her.
'I...err...' Ginny stammered. The bewildered look on the Slytherin's face was intimidating enough.
'Would you care to explain what you just said?' Narcissa demanded.
'Well, I passed two teachers in the hallway today and they were talking about "loose morals" and poor, gormless Hermione who apparently has no clue that you two are spending time in each other's quarters,' Ginny explained.
'Gormless? 'ermione?' Fleur snorted with laughter as if she had never heard a funnier thing in her life.
'Oh please, keep it together. What are we going to do about this?' Narcissa asked drawing confused looks.
'What do you want to do about it? It's a rumour. You surely know how they work. The more attention you give them, the more persistent they are,' Hermione said.
'So you just want people to believe your girlfriend is sleeping with the mother of your school nemesis behind your back?' Narcissa commented.
'No, of course not! I just couldn't care less what people who believe this drivel think of me,' Hermione said, exasperation seeping through.
Narcissa harrumphed and set her face.
'It's getting late, I should probably go before anyone comes up with even wilder theories about my presence here. Before I go, I want you to know that we've sent an elf out on another retrieval mission. I'll let you know if she returns with the dagger or not. Good night,' Narcissa said and left.
As soon as the door shut, the three witches burst into laughter.
Clutching her belly Fleur said, 'Did you see 'er face? I 'ave to admit, I'm rather surprised by 'ow multifaceted this woman turns out to be.'
'Yes, and she's almost developing a sense of righteousness. How very un-slytherin of her,' Ginny laughed.
Suddenly, Hermione stopped laughing. She'd had an idea. The other two witches stopped laughing in alarm and expectantly looked at Hermione.
'I think I've solved it,' Hermione said.
'Solved what?' Fleur asked.
'The houses! I think I know why Elvira Munn is in Slytherin and why this lazy boy was put into Ravenclaw. I've told you last night that I've noticed unusual behaviour in some students,' Hermione explained.
'You did?'
'Yes, but I think you were asleep already. Anyway, who's up for a little rule breaking?' Hermione asked casually, as if it were no big deal.
'Are you ok, chérie?' Fleur asked. The concern in her voice was real.
'Yes, I'm fine. Come on, we're breaking into Minerva's office,' Hermione stated and went to open the door, leaving two completely befuddled witches standing in the sitting room.
After a moment, Ginny and Fleur went after her.
It was after midnight and technically, Ginny was the only one not allowed to be roaming the hallways. Hermione noticed that it had been more fun sneaking around when it was forbidden.
A few unthrilling minutes later, they found themselves in front of the Gargoyle that led to Minerva's office. They knew that Minerva still slept in her old quarters, so there was no danger in sneaking in.
Hermione whispered the password and the stairs set themselves in motion. Discreetly, lighting only one of the oil lamps in the office, she found what she was looking for high on a shelf behind the desk. Hermione smiled as she levitated the hat with a swish and flick. Every time she used that spell, it reminded her of times long gone, when her biggest problem had been a house mate not emphasising his spells correctly.
Carefully, she set down the Sorting Hat on the headmistress' desk. Only then, she realised she had no idea how to operate the thing. How could she wake it up? Could it be woken even if it wasn't the beginning of the school year?
'What are you doing with the 'at?' Fleur whispered.
'How do you make it work?' Hermione asked her girlfriend. After all, she had been responsible for this year's sorting ceremony.
'You don't make it work. It always works. It's probably sleeping,' Fleur answered.
While they were talking, the hat started to move. Very little at first, but then it seemed to open its eyes and blinked a few times, before looking straight at Hermione.
'I hope you have a good reason for waking me in the middle of my hibernation,' it said grumpily.
'I...erm...I'm sorry to wake you. I have a question,' Hermione stammered, startled by the sudden loudness in the room. Apparently, the hat saw no reason to whisper.
'Ah, you're one of those...I put you in Gryffindor for a reason. It was not a mistake. Now can I go back to sleep?' the hat said. His mood hat not improved.
'No, that wasn't what I wanted to know. I'm very happy with your choice. It does concern your most recent sorting,' Hermione started off before being interrupted.
'Get to the point, Miss Granger. I'm not getting any younger!'
'I've noticed several discrepancies from the usual sorting pattern this year. I have a girl in Slytherin who I thought would have fit very well into Ravenclaw. And I've Hufflepuffs that only work if there is some personal gain, and so on. I was wondering if you had changed anything about the sorting this year?' Hermione asked.
'Ah, only took you humans two years to notice. Finally, someone is catching on,' the hat answered and for the first time it seemed to be a little less grumpy.
'What do you mean, two years? You've mixed up the sorting for the second time this year?' Hermione couldn't quite believe her ears.
'Yes,' the hat said, a smug expression on his face.
'Why?'
'Don't you find it funny that most dark wizards come from Slytherin? Or that those who stopped them were usually from Gryffindor? I have switched up the game because it is the only way to truly achieve equality between the houses. It won't matter which house you're in anymore. The only thing that you will gain from it are friends and a sense of community. To some extent the houses are a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you are in Ravenclaw you will study and you will celebrate your eccentricity but soon Hufflepuff will have the best of their year and Ravenclaw will have a proper Quidditch team and some Slytherins will be welcoming and loyal. There will be dark wizards coming from Hufflepuff and Slytherins to stop them. I am doing my part to contribute to equality,' the hat said proudly.
They were astonished. They had no idea what Hermione had been on about but now it became clearer. Hermione had suspected that there were certain mix ups with the sorting but she hadn't thought they were deliberate. She had assumed a faulty hat was the cause, not a hat with activist tendencies.
'Does Minerva know?' she asked.
'She hasn't asked me about it yet. You seem to be the first one. Took you long enough.'
'I wasn't here last year,' Hermione said, feeling the need to defend herself for some reason.
'Still took you a few months to find out your students behave unexpectedly. They say you're the smartest witch of your age,' the hat jibed.
'Seriously? Every time I solve someone's problem or save the world, it's expected. Once in a while, I take a bit more time to notice something because I'm busy with other things and suddenly people feel the need to remind me of that epitaph,' Hermione huffed. She was peeved that even the Sorting Hat would use this against her.
'For Merlin's sake, calm down,' the hat relented. 'Now that you've revealed the big secret, can you put me back on my shelf?'
To emphasise the urgency of its relocation, the hat yawned broadly.
Happy to have solved the riddle, Hermione returned the hat to its original position and grinned at Ginny and Fleur.
After they had accompanied Ginny to Gryffindor tower, chatting and pointing out more unusual placements they had noticed, Fleur and Hermione cuddled up in bed. Fleur's hands wandered along Hermione's sides and her lips nibbled on her earlobe.
'Mmmh, shouldn't we be sleeping?' Hermione asked but her smile was audible.
'Yes, probably but I find you too attractive to sleep right now,' Fleur whispered in Hermione's ear, darting out her tongue to lick it.
'Do you now? Why is that?' Hermione flirted back.
'Mhm, every time you show off 'ow smart you are, I just want to pull you into the next empty class room and...,' Fleur said, continuing to trail Hermione's skin with her lips.
'I got an E.E. on my last arithmancy essay,' Hermione played along and Fleur promptly kissed her down her neck.
'I also earned fifty house points in one lesson last week.'
More kisses.
'I brewed a perfect potion yesterday.'
As Fleur rained more kisses on Hermione's skin, the young woman repositioned herself and found Fleur's lips in a heated kiss. She urgently slid her hand underneath Fleur's pyjama top and found her breast.
Fleur moaned right into Hermione's mouth as she arched into Hermione's touch. Fleur pulled her girlfriend closer in a desperate attempt to melt into each other. Greedily, Hermione sucked on the skin above Fleur's clavicle, while she let her hands lay claim to Fleur's body.
They were pulling and squeezing at each other's bodies, licking and biting across each other's skin, their clothes long discarded.
Hermione slid her thigh between Fleur's legs and immediately knew how aroused she was, as the French witch urgently tried for more friction.
Hermione felt Fleur's hand and gasped. She pulled Fleur closer.
'More...' she quietly moaned into her ear and felt Fleur's fingers smoothly enter her. Two, she guessed. The heel of Fleur's hand exquisitely rubbed her clit with every move.
'More...' she softly moaned again and Fleur complied readily. Hermione bit her lip as she enjoyed the sensation. She slung her arms around Fleur's neck and held onto her as the blond thrust in and out of her, instinctively moving along Hermione's thigh to further her own pleasure.
By the shortness of her breath and the jerky movements, Fleur could tell that Hermione would not hold out much longer. She knew, she herself wouldn't either.
Barely audible, Fleur whispered, 'I love you.'
Hermone smiled but couldn't respond anymore. She tumbled into her orgasm, taking Fleur with her.
Still catching their breath and grinning madly, they lay on top of each other in a heap of limbs.
'I love you too.'
When Hermione and Ginny were again fleeing from the noisy common room a few days later, they found Fleur and Narcissa arguing in the sitting room. So much for quiet.
'Non, non, non. You are not going anywhere. We still 'ave to finish those two books we started. Get back to your seat!' Fleur commanded.
'We can do that next time. I really should leave,' Narcissa insisted.
'In case you 'aven't noticed, there is a time limit to our work. We will use every bit of it to find a cure. Now get back in there and 'elp me,' Fleur said, clearly angered. But Narcissa Malfoy was nobody to be bossed around. Simply because of that she refused.
'You will not order me around like a servant! It doesn't matter how fast we work, it's hopeless anyway!' Narcissa hissed.
Fleur's temper was much shorter than her patience for research and she launched into diatribe of rage and stopped just short of threatening Narcissa's life, if she didn't finish her day's work now.
Fleur was guilt-ridden about not being able to find something without the help of the Slytherin but if that was her only chance, she wouldn't let it get away, no matter how exhausted or unwilling Narcissa was.
Narcissa's words had hit Hermione unprepared. If not even she thought that they would succeed, how would they manage then? Ginny picked up on Hermione's mood and took her hand, leading her into the study, duplicating the chairs. Homework could wait for another day.
And so the four witches sat back down to go through the books together.
After a few more hours of work everyone was clearly exhausted but nobody dared to get up for fear of Fleur's wrath.
'I think I've got something!' Hermione whispered before repeating herself a little bit louder.
'I just found a spell that will make objects return to a pre-determined location. I know that doesn't mean it's the one Lestrange used, nor will it tell us where that location is but this could be something.'
'Let me see,' Narcissa said and took the book from Hermione. She checked the cover and the passage about the spell, furrowing her brow.
She mumbled as she read before looking up, astonishment all over her face, 'This might be it! It says here that the location can't just be anywhere. There has to be an emotional connection to the place. Bellatrix was never very romantic, so I'm sure that she didn't choose anything related to Rodolphus. Maybe...'
Narcissa massaged her temples to get her tired brain going. Nobody dared to interrupt.
'I'm fairly certain that Azkaban has an emotional value to her but I doubt she would send the dagger there...' Narcissa thought out loud.
'When did she get the dagger? Maybe that's a clue,' Ginny said.
'She's had it since she was very young, ten maybe or eleven, but I can't say when she got the book,' Narcissa jogged her memory.
Hermione got up from her seat and started pacing. Fleur and Ginny read the passage on the spell and Narcissa fought hard against a rising headache.
'Did you always live in Grimmault Place? Or did you have a summer house or something?' Hermione asked, as she stopped.
'My family didn't believe in extra residences. We've all been in that dreadful place until we married. Unless we were at school, of course,' Narcissa answered.
'Hogwarts. Do you think she hid it here? You know like Tom did with his horcrux,' Ginny said.
'You call him Tom?' Narcissa asked, distracted by Ginny's casual tone.
'He spent the better part of my first year in my brain, I would say, that puts us on a first name basis,' Ginny said surly and Narcissa nodded.
'Let's check,' Fleur said.
'We can't search Hogwarts. It's too vast!' Narcissa opposed.
'We can start with the Room of Requirement. If it were anywhere else in the castle, a house elf would have noticed while cleaning,' she defended her plan.
'Fleur, you haven't been inside that room, it's huge and full with all kinds of clutter. I know because I hid Harry's potion book there,' Ginny argued.
'And Goyle set the whole room on fiendfyre. Nothing will be left. Not even a dagger,' Hermione said, her hope waning. If the dagger had been destroyed in the final battle, they were back to square one.
'You are all forgetting something. It is the Room of Requirement. We require that dagger. We can just ask for it before entering, non?' Fleur argued.
'Brilliant!' Hermione cheered before kissing her girlfriend, 'You're bloody brilliant.'
With renewed confidence, Hermione put on her wooly robes to brace against the cold, wintery Hogwarts hallways and left her quarters. The others quickly found their feet and followed.
And so the unlikely party went on a trip to the seventh floor.
'Are we making a habit of breaking curfew every few days?' Ginny asked conversationally.
Fleur and Hermione snickered silently and Narcissa simply ignored them. She felt it was completely undignified to go traipsing around the school in the middle of the night. She should have left when she wanted to earlier.
'Do you think it's wise running around the hallways after hours?' a voice said before turning the corner and revealing themselves.
'Oh, I didn't know it would be staff out and about at this time,' Frederick Higglerune said. 'I was just finishing my last round and heard footsteps. Please, don't let me keep you. Good night'
The four witches walked past the new History of Magic teacher, ignoring his befuddled look. This would feed the school's rumour mill for days.
When they finally arrived, they decided that Hermione should summon the room, since it was her requiring the dagger most. She walked past the not yet visible door and concentrated hard.
Finally, the door began to appear. With a deep breath, Hermione opened the door and the four women stepped inside. The room was dark and the torches only flickered to life when they had taken a few steps inside.
As Ginny had said, the room was huge but it was also empty. Their footsteps echoed as they walked around to find a clue or perhaps the dagger.
A few minutes later they had canvassed the entire room without results.
'Oh fucking hell, where did the bitch put that dagger,' Ginny cursed freely. Everyone was surprised that Narcissa didn't object but were reluctant to ask her about it.
'I assume we can call it a day now and return to our quarters?' Narcissa asked and with hanging heads they all left the empty Room of Requirement.