"Harry, I need the cloak and the map, please." Her voice was resolute, leaving no room for refusal.
Harry's expression hardened, and he seemed to hesitate before responding, "Hermione, I don't think it's a good idea. With your Prefect rounds and all the time you spend in the library, it seems like you hardly ever catch a break..."
"Well, if you hadn't tried to kill Malfoy," she said, and at these words, the young man stiffened, avoiding eye contact with her as she continued, "you wouldn't find yourself in detention every Saturday, and you could continue your ridiculous surveillance mission on your own."
"I didn't mean to try and kill him! You know that well enough, so please, don't dwell on it. I've told you I'm sorry," Harry implored.
"Perhaps your intentions were different, but the spell you used was intended for 'enemies.' What I'm trying to convey, Harry, is that maybe it's time for you to take a step back from this situation. You've spent the entire year consumed by thoughts of Malfoy, it's become an obsession, and look where it's led you."
Hermione's words hung in the air for a moment before she sighed and softened her tone. " Harry, I do understand that you're trying to protect us and find out what Malfoy's up to. I just worry about what this is doing to you." She extended her hand towards him. "Please, lend me the cloak and the map. Let's work together on this, and we'll be more effective. You can trust me."
Harry finally relented, a reluctant but weary look in his eyes, and handed over the invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map to Hermione.
Hermione had completed the first part of her mission. She had hoped it would cause her fewer problems, but Harry seemed to be growing increasingly agitated. She knew that she wouldn't be able to take advantage of these artefacts for much longer. So, she intended to make the most of them while she could.
Ever since the Sectumsempra incident, Hermione had been afraid. Not for herself, but for him. She now understood what Harry was willing to do to him. And, based on the reactions of her housemates when news of Malfoy's attack had spread, she realised that he might not be the only threat.
Ron, for instance, appeared almost disappointed that Malfoy had gotten off lightly.
Even the professors didn't seem particularly concerned. Case in point, the laughable punishment Harry had received. He had nearly killed a fellow student. And he was getting away with just a few days of detention.
She had no other option but to intensify her surveillance. She couldn't afford for him to be attacked again in such a cowardly manner. She knew that she herself wouldn't be able to bear it.
Hermione clutched the invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map tightly, her heart pounding with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. She had been tracking Draco Malfoy's movements on the map for a while, and her observation had led her to the Room of Requirement.
As she approached the concealed entrance to the room, she couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. What could Malfoy possibly be doing in there, especially with the company of two of his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle? Her instincts told her that she needed to find out, and perhaps, if she could, help him in some way.
Slipping the cloak over her, Hermione felt a shiver as it enveloped her, rendering her invisible to the naked eye. With the map in hand, she cautiously ventured into the corridor leading to the Room of Requirement.
She stood outside the Room of Requirement for more than an hour, watching with astonishment the conversation unfolding between the two Slytherins disguised as young girls. Draco wouldn't achieve anything with the help of these two bumbling henchmen. She wondered how they had managed to reach their sixth year without repeating a year, getting expelled, or worse, getting Avada'd by Snape.
Once Malfoy had left the room, Hermione waited until she was sure he was gone and back in the Slytherin common room. She then carefully made her way back to the Room of Requirement, her mind racing with questions and concerns.
Back in the corridor, she took a deep breath and decided to ask the room for help. With a clear and determined voice, she said, "I need to see what Draco Malfoy wanted in this room. Show me his intentions."
The door appeared, and she entered the room cautiously, which turned out to be a sort of study. In the centre of the room stood an old, empty cabinet. In one corner, there was a desk covered with parchments, each one bearing the mark of hundreds of incantations and calculations. Several books on dark magic were scattered around the room, a testament to the torment Draco must have been going through.
Hermione watched, her heart heavy with concern. Whatever Malfoy was entangled in, it was a dangerous path he had chosen. She knew she had to find out more and do whatever she could to help him, even if it meant facing the uncertainties and dangers that lay ahead.