Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Harry Potter, except those that clearly aren't from J.K. Rowling's stories. And since I expect anyone reading this by now to be a complete HP aficionado, I'm sure you'll know which ones they are.
Chapter 4 — Plans
Hermione Granger had never been one to give in to self-loathing, but at that moment she hated Malfoy, she hated magic, and most of all, she hated herself.
If only I hadn't let him talk me into becoming Animagi. If only I hadn't tried to hex Malfoy. If only….
She doubted very much that McGonagall had bought her story, but at least the Headmistress hadn't tried to use Veristaserum on her. Hermione did not think that a Binding Vow would excuse her for breaking it, even under the powerful truth serum. Harry would have been doomed, and she would have been dead.
The chiming of the Great Clock Tower brought her back to her senses. She had missed Charms, but she could still make it to Potions if she hurried.
Fortunately for her, the room was still half empty by the time she arrived. She slid into an empty seat and began unloading her bag. She had just started to note down the necessary ingredients for the day's lessons when the door slammed open, and Draco Malfoy sauntered into the room.
Hermione didn't want to look; she told herself that she would keep her gaze firmly on her paper and not look up…but of course, the instant she resolved to do that, her gaze fixed on the flaxen-haired Slytherin ambling to his seat. Crabbe and Goyle flanked him on either side as always, but a third creature was shadowing him today as well. Hermione's face paled as she caught sight of the small black feline trotting contentedly at Malfoy's heels.
Malfoy caught her gaze and smirked widely. He changed his direction and slid smoothly into the seat beside Hermione, a quick slice of his hand signaling to his goons to go find seats somewhere else.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" she hissed at him angrily.
His grin widened. "So scathing. You know, you might have made a good Slytherin…if you weren't a Mudblood, of course," he offered contemplatively.
Hermione hid her fury by stalking over to the ingredients cabinet and loading a variety of vials and roots into her arms. Malfoy was reclining in his seat when she returned, one foot propped against the desk. She was sorely tempted to kick the leg of his chair out from under him, but the black cat stretching comfortably nearby kept her still.
"Professor, isn't it against the rules to have pets in the classroom?" Hermione complained as she sat down.
"Um, erm, well I suppose so. I'll have to ask you to remove your cat, Malfoy," Slughorn said, bemused at Hermione's sudden outburst.
"Ah, but my cat is remarkably well behaved. See?" Malfoy indicated. "Sit still," he commanded. The cat froze where it sat; only the lazy blinking of its eyes indicated that it was not a statue.
Slughorn looked disconcerted. "Very well," he said, returning resolutely to his lesson. Hermione ducked her head over her cauldron so that she didn't have to see Malfoy's sneer of triumph.
Malfoy leaned over the cauldron on the pretext of checking the potion's consistency, and whispered softly in her ear, "I'd keep that temper of yours under control, Granger. Your friend is no longer under your protection."
Hermione refused to look at him, but gave a curt nod to show that she understood.
"There's a good girl," Malfoy purred. "Now finish the potion while I take a nap. I had a very eventful night."
Hermione's eyes shot daggers at the boy, but she stirred the cauldron obediently, all the while hating Malfoy and hating herself for not being able to find a way to circumvent him. But she wasn't called the smartest witch of her year for nothing. She would find a way to get Harry back, she promised herself, and she would do so tonight.
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Hermione didn't get her chance until two nights later. Other concerns intervened.
"What do you mean, he left!" Ron roared, badly frightening Hermione, who had been studying quietly in a corner. The common room grew very silent. "McGonagall just told me. When were you planning to say something?"
Hermione had never seen Ron this angry. His face, strangely enough, was pure white – all the blood seemed to have rushed to his hair, which was blazing red. Hermione had known that it was not a question of if people would notice Harry was gone, but when. When was obviously now.
"He made me promise not to say anything," Hermione explained, hastily moving her potions essay out of the way as Ron slammed his fists onto her desk.
"So you just let him go off to face Voldemort and his Death Eaters alone? I thought you were smart, Hermione," he yelled.
Hermione looked up. "Unlike some people, I keep my promises," she bit out coldly. She stood up, palms flat on her desk as she leaned forward slightly. Though Ron towered over her by a good six inches, he recoiled from her presence. "Listen carefully Ronald Weasley, because I am only going to say this once. What Harry does is for Harry to decide. If he chooses not to tell you something, then that is his decision. Not yours, and not mine. He is my friend and I care just as much about what happens to him as you do, so don't you dare yell at me like that. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."
Ron looked momentarily taken aback, then brushed off her comment. "I thought you were my friend, Hermione," he dramatized. "Friends don't lie to each other." He stalked off.
Hermione sank back onto her chair, a feeling of utter exhaustion sweeping over her. She looked at her chronometer – it was only seven o'clock, but she knew that there was no way she would be able to plan a rescue mission tonight. She thought about what she had just told Ron. He had every right to be upset, of course. She would have been furious if Harry had really left Hogwarts without telling her. Ron will simmer down, she convinced herself, mostly because she couldn't bear to believe otherwise. We've been friends too long.
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Ron did not talk to her at all the next morning. When she went to sit down at the Gryffindor table, Ron scooted over so that he took up both his seat and hers, catching a passing Collin Creevey by the sleeve as he did so and pulling him down into Harry's seat. Collin, to his credit, looked confused, but when he tried to get back up Ron gave him such a glower that he immediately sat back down. Hermione said nothing, just took an empty seat at the end of the table, feeling very alone.
Classes that day were horrible, with Malfoy using double Transfiguration to show off his power over Harry by transfiguring him into a teacup and back. Hermione watched in terror, fearful of what transfiguration would do to an animal that was not really an animal. But apparently standard spells could not differentiate the transformed boy from a true cat, and Harry appeared to escape the experience unharmed. Hermione, on the other hand, was quite certain that she had not.
As soon as classes were over she made the excuse to Ginny that she would be in the library, and dashed off.
She found her way to a deserted corner and paused, taking a deep breath. As always, the musty smell of old parchment calmed her. Absently, she ran a finger over the weathered bindings on the shelves, drawing comfort from their familiar touch. The idea she had in mind was so absurd, so ludicrous that it was bound to fail. And yet, hadn't all their ideas been like that? And they had still managed to turn out okay. It would take meticulous planning; there were so many things that could go wrong….
Hermione spent the next few hours jotting down notes in her cramped handwriting, playing out scenarios and ploys in her head. She felt herself growing frustrated as the more she planned, the more things she thought of that could go wrong. The clock chimed nine and in exasperation, she crumpled up the parchment she had been working on and stood up, drawing stares from the few students left in the room. To Azkaban with planning! Hermione thought as she grabbed her satchel and walked out the door. Sometimes a girl's just got to act!
Chapter 4 Summary:
Draco taunts Hermione about his ability to control Harry. Ron confronts Hermione about Harry's disappearance. Hermione schemes how to get Harry back.