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CHAPTER SIXTEEN: On the Attack

James didn't really know what he was looking for. But that didn't stop him looking. He had rows of books spread out in front of him in the library, detailing various methods of transfiguration. But nothing he had looked at was helping him.

Emily was leaning against the table, looking bored. Since James had never seen her looking bored before, things must be bad. "I know being a girlfriend is new to me,"she commented,"but I wasn't expect it to involve watching you read."

James gave her an awkward smile. "Sorry. But I really want to find something." He sighed. "We could do with Rose here."

"She's probably off spending time with her boyfriend."

James considered this. "Is Scorpius really her boyfriend? Got to remember to wind her up about that some time. Tell her he's only dating her so she'll help him with his homework..." He stopped and clicked his fingers. "Man, I'm stupid."

"That's what people say. What made you realise it?"

"We don't need to know how it's being done. We need to know who's doing it. And why. That woman I saw!"

Emily struggled to follow this line of thought. "The blonde-haired one?"

"Yes! I mean, maybe. I saw her change, remember? Into an older woman, with dark hair. The bits that weren't grey, that is. So either one of them could be the real her."

"You want to find out who she is?"Emily ventured.

James nodded eagerly. "Let's see what we can find out about relatives of Death Eaters."

"Are we going to meet for lunch?"Hermione asked, as she and Harry paused by the door to his office.

"Not sure,"he answered. "I might work through. I'm determined to get to the bottom of this and there's something that's bugging me. I want to follow up on it."

"Well, let me know if you want me to spend my lunch hour during research with you again,"Hermione answered with a smile, giving him a quick kiss before heading off in the direction of her own office.

Harry went through the door and over to his desk. He touched his wand to a slot indented in it and the miniaturised head of one of the ministry clerks seemed to appear on his desk. "Yes, Mr. Potter?"she asked.

"Ministry records. Magical registration certificates. From around the turn of the century." Harry waited for the clerk's response, before realising she was waiting for him to ask a question. "Have you got them?"

"Of course, Mr. Potter. We don't lose track of such important information."

"Can you send them to me?"

"Which ones?"

"All of them. From a twenty year period."

The clerk seemed to lose her officious air slightly. Her answer took just a second longer to come. "That may take some time."

"Start in the middle and work outwards. Who knows, maybe I'll find what I'm looking for before you're finished."

Hermione had been at her desk for two hours, filling in court reports, when she heard the door open. "What is it?"she asked, without looking up.

"Just wanted to have a friendly chat with you, Mrs. Weasley,"came the answer.

Hermione's gaze shot up and she saw a blonde-haired woman in a red dress pointing a wand at her. "Who are you?" she demanded.

The woman looked at her with a sneer. "You're actually expecting an answer? And don't try any more of that wandless magic, I'm ready for it this time."

Hermione's eyes widened in realisation. "It's you! You're the one who attacked me disguised as Parvati! Why?"

"And you were always the clever one. You're lucky I'm not here to punish you this time, even though I really want to see you hurt. No, this time I just want something from you."

Hermione wondered if she could draw her wand without the woman noticing. "What?"

"Stupefy!"

Hermione had no time to react before the spell struck her. She was thrown backwards by it, hitting the floor and lying there in a heap. The blonde woman walked over to her, reached down…and pulled out one of Hermione's hairs. "I think this will do."

Hermione opened her eyes to find Ron and Parvati leaning over her. "Are you all right?"Ron asked. "Careful, you might have hurt yourself."

Hermione struggled to get up. "That woman! She was here. She hit me with a stunning spell."

"What woman?"Ron asked, confused.

"I don't know. She had blonde hair down to her shoulder, she looked about thirty, she was wearing a red dress…"

"The woman James saw?"

"Probably. She said she was the one who attacked me last year." Hermione looked awkwardly at Parvati. "Sorry for thinking it was you."

Parvati gave her an understanding smile. "It's okay. I actually felt like attacking you quite a lot when we were in school."

"But why attack you now?"Ron asked. "She's had all this time to try again. Was it like before?"

"No,"Hermione admitted,"she said she wanted something from me."

"She impersonated me last time she was here,"Parvati pointed out. "Maybe this time she's going to impersonate you."

"But why?"Hermione wondered. To look at some of the files I've got access to?"

Ron shook his head. "No, it's not that. It's something more basic. Think, Hermione. Who's the one person that she could get to if she looked like you, that no-one would think twice about you being close to?"

Hermione felt a sudden fear in her chest as she came to the same conclusion Ron had. "Harry."