The next few weeks passed in a blur of extensive planning and confusion. Hermione was still trying to wrap her head around the idea that the three of them were hiding out inside of Hogwarts. A place that had always felt open and welcoming since the day they arrived. A place where Hermione could be herself and where she was accepted. It was chilling how Amycus had shattered that for her only three weeks prior. Hermione still woke in a cold sweat every few nights remembering the physical and emotional pain the spells had caused. She would have to hold her hands to her mouth to keep herself from screaming out loud. Hermione had learned to quiet herself now that she was sharing small quarters in the room of requirement with Ron and Harry. She hoped for humanities sake that those spells never found their way out of that small classroom.
The constant nightmares were nothing compared to the fact that she had hardly seen Draco. He was busy planning outside of the room of requirement, a valuable asset to keep her safe. Draco's Imperius curse on Pansy had done the trick in her telling the entire school including Amycus that she had seen the trio run into the forbidden forest after he had blacked out due to Harry's excessive hitting. The rest of the class had been too stunned into watch Harry Potter beat the living crap out of Amycus to notice Draco, Hermione or Ron leave. Eventually when Harry had knocked Amycus out cold, and Draco had returned he too ran from the classroom and to the room of requirement while Ron gathered necessary supplies from their quarters. Of course he couldn't gain access to the heads dorms for the most important of Hermione's things, but Draco had taken the liberty of helping bring them. Harry entrusted Draco with the invisibility cloak during the day, making it an easy job for him to access the room without notice. He continually brought them food, news of Hogwarts, and Voldemort.
It seemed from his latest update that Voldemort was now scouring England trying to find Harry. Voldemort was far off their trail and in that, they could take comfort. They had worked out a semi schedule between the four of them. Draco would come with news of the days events, usually sometime after dinner. They would all talk into the night of the news of Voldemort and the ongoing events inside Hogwarts. Afterwards they would take turns going out in search of clues of Horcruxes in the castle. This usually left Hermione in the company of Draco, and either Harry or Ron. Alone time was impossible.
Hermione let her thoughts run to Draco as the time stretched past dinner and the trio sat in the tiny room discussing the day's findings.
"Malfoy is pretty positive on there being something of Ravenclaws in Hogwarts." Ron informed the others as they sat in a circle on the only bed in the room.
"How do you know that?" Hermione asked accusingly.
"Because he came in earlier before breakfast. You were still sleeping."
"You didn't wake me?"
"You looked tired."
Hermione let go of her aggressive position, and tired to relax herself. She needed to get out of the room. She felt claustrophobic.
"Anyway, like I was saying." Ron continued, looking at Hermione as if she might bite his head off. "Malfoy's been asking around with a few of the houses residents. Apparently there are a few artifacts of Rowena Ravenclaws that are legend. One is a necklace, one is a diadem, and the other her wand which was said to have disappeared at the time of her death unable to be buried with her. A lot of rumors are that she stored it in Hogwarts. Maybe Voldemort found it as a kid and turned it into a Horcrux later."
"That's not a bad thought." Harry said from Hermione's right side, sitting pensively. "I mean the locket and the ring are destroyed, and we've destroyed the diary and the cup. That only leaves something of Ravenclaw's and maybe something of Gryffindor's, and I just know they're hiding in the castle. Then once we destroy those he'll come here...then we take care of Nagini."
"It seems a bit far fetched, making an animal into a horcrux, but I guess it's possible. As far as what we need to be doing inside of Hogwarts to get those horcruxes I think we need to track down some Ravenclaw portraits in the common room and ask them a few questions. They also have a mini library in the common room I hear." Hermione said.
"Not really the time to do some light reading Hermione." Ron said sarcastically.
"Oh honestly! Do you two think at all? If there are books in the Ravenclaw tower that aren't in the library it's completely possible that they have to do with Ravenclaw history. Including magical objects that belonged to Rowena herself."
"Okay, we'll put that on our list of things to look for when we go out with the invisibility cloak."
"Right. Good." Hermione said yawning, leaning back against the pillows on the bed.
"Simple as that!" Harry said brightly.
Hermione couldn't help but laugh at this. The plan seemed absurd and the more she thought about it the more she wanted to take Draco and run away. That is if he still wanted her.
She looked up at her friends who and resumed their talks of horcruxes. Hermione fell back on the bed looking over at the clock in desperation. Draco should have been there to start searches nearly an hour ago. It was midnight already.
Just as her thoughts turned to Draco she heard the lock click on their secret door and she sat up to see it open slightly and then close once more. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as Draco threw the invisibility cloak off himself as he strode into the room. His eyes fell immediately on Hermione and she blushed, sitting more upright on the bed pushing her stray locks of hair out of her face. He came over swiftly, kissing her on her forehead before turning to Ron and Harry and nodding formally. The boys' relationship had grown gradually and although they weren't exactly friends there was an enjoyable atmosphere around them all most nights. Draco went over to the floor and threw the daily prophet on the ground prompting Harry and Ron to join him there scouring over headlines.
Hermione sat on the bed feeling left out. She usually joined them all, but tonight she just wasn't feeling it. She hadn't really spent time with Draco in weeks. Maybe his Veela senses had faltered. Hermione shook herself. From what she knew about Veela's, their senses for their mates could never diminish. However, she guessed, it was possible that his like of her as a person could have decreased. Of course he'd always love her, but Hermione knew from her previous conversations with Draco that it had taken some time for him to warm up to her, even with Veela senses tingling. Maybe after this time spent apart that feeling they briefly shared was dying. Now he was just helping her and her friends as a sense of Veela duty to keep her from being hurt.
She watched the three boys as they read the papers and eventually finished, folding them up into the stack that lay in the corner of the room.
"Well Draco better set out for some patrolling of Ravenclaw's dorms. Did you get the password?" Harry asked.
"Sort of. I asked a first year Ravenclaw about it today. It wasn't pretty. Had to pretend to threaten his blood status. Poor kid. Things are getting serious out there." Draco ran a hand through his ungelled hair letting it move and then fall back into place. "Anyway, he said that there isn't really a password."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, suddenly interested.
"Well Ravenclaw is all about intelligence and wit, right? Apparently there is some sort of knocker that asks you a question, and you just have to answer it."
"A question?" Hermione puzzled. "That means it could be any question."
"Exactly." Draco said. "That's why I need Hermione to come with me tonight."
Harry and Ron exchanged awkward glances.
"I don't know if that's a good idea." Harry said finally in the silence that seemed to engulf the room. "I mean we always go one at a time. The invisibility cloak isn't that big anymore and better one of us get caught than two. Easier from a rescue standpoint."
"Sure, but which one of the four of us is more likely going to be able to answer any questions a portrait asks?" Draco asked smiling at Hermione.
She was nervous. Not at the patrolling or the breaking into Ravenclaw thing, but more at the being alone with Draco. She had wanted the opportunity for weeks now, but she was afraid at what he'd say to her.
"Why can't I just go alone then?" Hermione asked frustratingly. Quite frankly she was a bit tired of the boys making decisions about her while acting as if she didn't have a say in it.
The boys exchanged awkward glances. It was true that in the past three weeks Hermione had only been allowed to go out during the daytime under the invisibility cloak…and with Draco following close by to make sure she wouldn't get caught.
"This isn't because I'm a girl is it?" Hermione said glaring around the room at the boys who seemed to be having difficulty looking at her directly. "If you three shake your heads no at me then I will really be mad because it will mean you think I'm a complete moron to have not noticed that I'm barely allowed to leave 'alone' these days."
"It's my fault." Draco said finally. The anger immediately left Hermione's face and she was left confused as she faced Draco directly who was standing awkwardly to the side of the bed. "It's my Veela senses. They've been acting up a lot more lately. They can sense the danger that has been surrounding you. It's become nearly impossible to leave you knowing that you won't be left protected either by myself, Harry or Ron. It's just…physically painful, and a bit emotionally as well. I know you can handle yourself Hermione, it's not a question of that. This is more my problem."
"Oh." Hermione whispered. She could sense Harry and Ron feeling uncomfortable on the other side of the room. Standing quickly, she grabbed her green cloak off the bed and quickly fastened it around her. She had forgone school uniforms since living in the room of requirement and was simply wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans and a pink sleeveless camisole. She would need something warmer outside of the room. "We better get going then."
"Right." Draco said, recovering himself. He moved across the room gathering the marauder's map from the small table and Hermione's wand as well. He handed it to her as she was waiting by the door and their fingers touched momentarily. It was nearly the first intimate contact they'd had in weeks and it sent shivers up Hermione's arms. "We'll be back in two hours time. If we aren't then…you can start worrying."
Hermione grabbed Harry's invisibility cloak from the hook to her right and threw it around herself. Draco opened the door slowly, and looked out left and right.
"See you both soon." Hermione said quietly to Harry and Ron who were sitting on the ground now pouring over newspapers once more.
"Be safe." Harry said, a look of concern falling over his face.
Hermione saw Draco's hand appear back in the doorway and she took a deep breath, grabbing it as he pulled her into the deserted corridor.
The door shut behind them and they were left to the silence.
"We're not sharing the cloak?" Hermione whispered to him.
"No. Carrow has assigned me to Head duties tonight. Patrolling the corridors. I should be fine. You on the other hand need to stay hidden." Draco warned. Hermione could see the tension and anxiety in his face. She knew he didn't really want her to come, but knew it was necessary. Whether that was because of her mere presence being annoying or because of the Veela senses she couldn't tell. They hadn't had a conversation in weeks, and Hermione was convinced at this point that she imagined all of the intimacy she thought she had shared with him. "Don't speak."
Draco promptly let go of her hand as if confirming her previous feelings of his growing lack of interest.
"This way." He whispered and began walking with a purpose down the corridor. Eventually Hermione knew they were making their way down and west toward the Ravenclaw Tower on the fifth floor.
Hermione did her best to keep up with Draco while still trying to keep herself hidden under the now tiny invisibility cloak. She found it hard to believe that the cloak had once easily fit all three of them underneath. Lost in thought while walking up one of the grand staircases it suddenly began to move. Hermione panicked looking up to see Draco go up another staircase, then turn out of sight up ahead.
"Dammit." She cursed herself for being slow, but she also felt annoyed at the easiness to which Draco managed to lose her. If his Veela senses were really in tune to her danger wouldn't he have recognized that she was no longer following close behind? Aggravated, she waited for the staircase to stop moving and climbed to the top of it. Once there she waited for it to turn back to its original spot.
"You need to visible for the staircase to move, you know." A woman's soft angelic voice floated to Hermione's ears and she froze, too astonished to move. Out of the corner of her eye she could see a shimmer of blue and white move. A ghost. There were only four ghosts in Hogwarts, and three were men. The Grey Lady, the ghost of Ravenclaw was circling her.
"Could you show me the way to Ravenclaw tower?" Hermione breathed softly, afraid to make any more noise.
"Why would you need to go there?" The Grey Lady asked, as she glided in front of Hermione's view.
"I'm…meeting someone."
Hermione shivered as a stray shimmer of the Lady's dress flew through her right arm. She nearly dropped the invisibility cloak.
"Very well." She said finally. "But in order to get that staircase to move you'll have to become visible."
Hermione gulped. She looked behind her, left, right, up and down. NO one else was in sight. She counted a full 10 seconds listening for any sounds nearby. She heard nothing.
"How long do I need to stay visible?" Hermione asked hoping the Grey Lady was still nearby.
"Only while you summon it to change." Her voice came eerily from behind her and Hermione took deep breaths to calm herself. Where was Draco?
"Okay." Hermione said shakily as she slipped off the cloak and took a step forward to the edge of the staircase. Immediately it sensed her and began to change to the direction she last saw Draco go. She counted in her mind the seconds it took to complete its rotation. Seven seconds. Seven seconds exposed. The moment it stopped she threw the cloak back on and immediately became invisible once more. She quickly flew up the flight of stairs and back to the landing where she last saw Draco.
One more staircase and she could stay invisible the rest of the night.
"That's an odd device." The Grey Lady said from in front of her. "I've never seen a cloak that turned the wearer completely invisible before."
"It's common." Hermione lied as she took a deep breath and a look around before throwing the cloak off her once more and watching the staircase change to her desired direction.
"I'm almost positive it's not. I've seen a many objects give small amounts of invisibility for a short period of time. It's common for amusement. But, it's very rare to see simple objects like that give a great power for so long. I only know of one that does that."
The staircase stopped and Hermione threw the cloak over herself once more and sprinted to the landing that housed a corridor that she last saw Draco turn down. He was nowhere in sight.
"Only one?" Hermione asked distractedly. Where the hell was Draco, and why hadn't he realized she wasn't with him anymore yet?
"Yes. I doubt you've ever heard of it seeing as you're not a Ravenclaw." The Grey Lady said distastefully as she led the way down the corridor and to the left.
The ghost glided down the last corridor toward a familiar looking spiral staircase and a very familiar boy pacing nervously by its entrance.
"It's not a special necklace or diadem is it?" Hermione asked doubtfully, her mind back to the conversation she was having with Ron and Harry just an hour earlier. Hermione felt a cold rush as the Grey Lady stopped immediately and Hermione walked straight through her.
"Hermione is that you?" Draco whispered into the nothingness ahead of him.
"Yes it's me. I made it safely. No thanks to you." Hermione invisibly marched over to his side. "So how do we get in here?"
"What's wrong with her?" Draco asked curiously.
"Who?" Hermione looked in Draco's eye line and saw that the Grey Lady had was still standing frozen in midair a few feet from them. "Oh. Who knows? I just needed her help finding the place since my leader left me to the dogs."
"Are you okay?" Draco asked ignoring Hermione, and moving the few steps forward to come face to face with the ghost.
"You aren't interested in the diadem, are you?" The Grey Lady asked quietly looking at the invisible Hermione and ignoring Draco completely.
Draco turned to look back at her as well a confused look on his face.
"I didn't tell her anything!" Hermione whispered. "We got on talking about magical objects is all."
"Didn't tell me what?" The Grey Lady asked suspiciously.
"Nothing." Draco said quickly, turning back to guide Hermione up the staircase and into the Ravenclaw tower.
They were halfway up when The Lady spoke again. "You won't find any information on it in there you know."
Hermione and Draco came to an abrupt halt on the staircase peering down at the Grey Lady who was now beneath them.
"Do you know anything about the diadem?" Draco asked curiously.
"A bit." The Grey Lady said, her expression turning distant.
"How?" Hermione asked, removing her cloak to get a clearer look at The Lady.
"I wasn't born a ghost you know. In my human days I was known as Helena Ravenclaw."