In The Library
Draco had told her to meet him in the room of requirement after dinner that night and she had every intention of doing so. She glanced across at Harry where he was bent over his food, pretending to be engrossed in what he was eating when in actual fact he was checking the marauders map to see whether Draco was in the room.
"Harry, if you want to see whether Malfoy is in here eating dinner like the rest of us why don't you turn and look?" Hermione asked in a quiet hiss as she leant forward slightly. He looked up at her like a puppy caught digging the garden and hurriedly put the map away.
"He's not here, Hermione." Harry whispered.
"So what?" Hermione asked. "Maybe he's gone to the bathroom or something!"
"I saw him up on the seventh floor!" Harry replied, quickly looking around to make sure no one else was listening.
"Honestly Harry, I refuse to believe that anyone as young as us would be allowed to become one of them." Hermione said firmly, sitting back in her chair slightly and looking away from him. By pure chance, her eyes found Ron and Lavender.
They were sitting together on one of the benches and Lavender was giggling continuously, with Ron smiling and whispering things in her ear.
The sight disgusted Hermione, although she couldn't stop herself wondering whether that could have ever happened between her and Draco. Hurriedly shaking her head and looking down at her food, she tried to think about something else.
"Hermione, I'm going to try and find him after dinner." Harry said quietly.
"Harry, no! What about your homework?" Hermione asked sharply. If Harry went to find Draco she'd never get a chance to meet up with him.
"I'll do it later! Why do you care so much whether I find out what he's up to or not?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Well let's say hypothetically that he actually is up to something," Hermione said, folding her arms neatly. "If you go after him the only thing you'll achieve is he'll probably end up hurting you as he tries to protect his secret."
"I'm stronger than him, Hermione." Harry said. "Besides, he's a wimp!"
"He is not a-!" Hermione swallowed the next word hurriedly and looked away. "Don't underestimate him. I can't bare to think of you getting hurt."
"Hermione, I won't!" Harry persisted.
"Alright fine, if you're going to go chasing all over the castle for him then I'm coming with you." Hermione said firmly.
"Great!" Harry grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that. Then when we discover what he's up to you won't be able to deny it."
Hermione turned away from him and continued eating, feeling incredibly frustrated. At least she knew that once Draco saw the two of them he'd understand that she had tried to stop Harry. He'd know then that it wasn't her fault.
Once dinner ended, Harry gestured for Hermione to follow and quickly walked from the Great Hall. Hermione glanced around nervously before following, wanting desperately to snatch the map from Harry and burn it so he could never find out where Draco was ever again.
"I'll just make sure he's still there," Harry murmured as he pulled his wand and the map from his pocket. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Hermione watched silently as Harry searched for the seventh floor on the map. After locating it, Harry checked every single corridor and all the rooms.
"Maybe he went to the Slytherin common room." Hermione said with a shrug. They hadn't seen his name anywhere.
"No." Harry shook his head. "He's in the room of requirement. I'm sure of it. The only question is how we're going to get in there too."
"How do you know this, Harry?" Hermione asked angrily.
"Alright," Harry began flipping the map and folding it different ways. "Then I'll check the Slytherin common room for you."
Hermione bit her lip nervously as Harry showed her plainly that Draco was not there either. He then tapped the map again, said 'Mischief managed' and put it back in his pocket.
"Are you still coming?" he asked.
"Of course I'm still coming!" Hermione said quickly.
They made their way up to the seventh floor without talking, Harry leading the way to the room of requirement. Hermione was hanging back slightly only because she was dreading the possibility that they might actually get inside and be face to face with Draco. What if Draco misunderstood the situation and thought she had brought Harry to listen in to his plan and then tell someone about it?
"It's just up there." Harry said quietly as they walked towards the blank wall which hid the door to the room of requirement.
"I'm not sure if this is a good idea." Hermione said nervously.
"Wands out." Harry told her, pulling his own out. Hermione swallowed and took out hers as well, hoping that the room would stay sealed for Draco and not allow anyone to enter.
I need you to stay closed. Hermione thought strongly as they walked closer. She knew Harry was probably thinking something different to try and make the door appear and the thought only made her repeat her own again and again.
"Come on... open." Harry murmured, closing his eyes to concentrate.
Please stay shut! Don't open! If you open the door for us something terrible will happen! Hermione thought, now also closing her eyes. She felt as if she was fighting a secret battle against Harry just to keep the door hidden. And Harry didn't even know...
"Potter? Granger? What are those looks of constipation for?"
Hermione and Harry spun around, now standing face to face with Draco. Of course, Hermione thought to herself, the room lets you out a different way if there's danger where you came in.
"What were you doing up here?" Harry snapped.
"I could ask you the same question, Potter." Draco snarled.
"You weren't at dinner. What were you doing?" Harry pressed on.
"Missed me, did you?" Draco asked with a smirk, folding his arms. "Why don't you just keep you nose out of my business and keep it in your own?"
"Come on, let's go." Hermione begged, taking Harry's arm and trying to pull him away.
"Not until I know what he's up to!" Harry fumed.
Hermione pushed Harry roughly against a wall, a glare on her face as she leant close to whisper something to him. "Harry, go back to the common room and do your homework. We'll make Malfoy think we've given up but I'll go back into the room of requirement and see if I can find out what he was doing. No arguments!"
Harry frowned as she released him but walked off to do as she said. Draco made a face at him when he walked by and Hermione was glad that Harry refrained from biting the bait and simply kept walking.
When he was finally around the corner and out of sight, Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm so sorry, I did my best." she said quietly.
"Doesn't matter. Come on." Draco walked towards the room of requirement again and closed his eyes in thought. Moments later a door appeared and Draco looked over his shoulder at Hermione, reaching out a hand for her.
"I'm coming." she said softly, smiling and taking his hand. They walked through the door together and it closed behind them securely, sealing them off from the rest of the world. Draco kept walking forward and lead her towards a large cabinet. Hermione gasped when she saw it, instantly remembering that there had been one just like it in Borgin and Bourkes.
"You know more than I thought you did." Draco said thoughtfully as he watched her expression.
"I saw one in Borgin and Bourkes..." she muttered.
"What were you doing there?" Draco asked, screwing his face up. Hermione Granger? In Borgin and Bourkes? That just wasn't a likely story.
"Actually... Harry, Ron and I were following you and your mother that day." Hermione admitted. "I'm sorry."
"I'm amazed you haven't already worked it out, then." Draco said.
"Let's see," Hermione thought aloud. "You were looking in a book about disappearing and you've just shown me a... a vanishing cabinet!" Hermione gasped. "It's a vanishing cabinet, isn't it?"
"Congratulation. What else?"
"Well, there's one in Borgin and Bourkes so that means... you can move things from here to there! And vice versa!" Hermione exclaimed.
"Not quite. This one's broken." Draco tapped the door of the cabinet with a sigh. "But I have to fix it."
"What's your mission, Draco?" Hermione asked gently.
Draco turned away, staring at the cabinet thoughtfully. He didn't speak for a few moments and Hermione wondered if he expected her to work this out for herself as well, but then he turned back to her again, his eyes showing the stress he felt once more.
"I have to bring the Death Eaters into the castle."