Well, on the bright side, as least you figured out the egg?" Blaise offered. Hermione rolled her eyes and rubbed Harry's back in an attempt to comfort him.
"Blaise has a point. Positive thinking can go a long way you know, Harry." Luna insisted when Harry glared at the Slytherin boy.
"Yes. I'm so positively dreading to find out what the bloody mermaids have stolen from me and are trying to keep at the bottom of the lake." Harry said sarcastically.
"I still say give all your important things to someone else, that way they can't be stolen and all you have to worry about is your favorite pair of socks getting a bit wet." Theo said for the third time. Hermione had shot the idea down on the grounds of Dumbledore would know exactly what object to look for.
"I'd be terribly upset if someone stole my favorite socks." Pansy mused then winked at Harry, "Especially the red ones with the snitches."
Harry flushed even as he rubbed his eyes. Hermione knew he was stressed. The task was in twelve hours and he was no closer to a real solution than he had been this morning.
"Alright. If all else fails, you can do the bubblehead charm. You made it last forty-five minutes last time." Hermione announced, "Either way you need a good night's sleep so let's clean up and-"
Neville ran over at that moment, "Harry! Harry! I think I might have it!"
They all looked at him expectantly, but Neville pressed his mouth shut when Professor McGonagall came around a bookshelf.
"Off to bed children. Mr. Potter, that means you specifically." She told the group, watching as they all began packing up their things and slowly leaving.
Draco was the last one out, pausing to wait on Hermione. When McGonagall raised her brow at him, he didn't budge and just crossed his arms.
"Miss Granger, please follow me, I need to speak with you about your homework from yesterday." The stern witch started walking away, "Mr. Malfoy, say your good nights quickly please."
Hermione went to him, panicking slightly as she wondered what she'd done to warrant McGonagall speaking to her this late.
"Oh no, I let Neville use my homework to help write his. Do you think he slipped up and made it seem like he copied?" She fretted, biting her lip and trying to remember if she'd used any incriminatingly specific phrases.
"I'd say she's going to tell you that you overachieved again, Granger. Don't stress, alright?" He pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'll see you at breakfast."
"Ok, I'll see you then. Don't let Harry and Blaise use all the orange marmalade."
Pansy didn't know how she felt staring at the black expanse of water, her knuckles white from how hard she was gripping the dock's rail.
On one hand, she was bloody thrilled she wasn't the one bobbing about on the lake floor. There was a massive squid that excreted who knows what all into the water and she did not to be submerged in it.
On the other hand, she was furious that her best friend was down there and that her only hope was Harry bloody Potter.
She liked the boy, she'd even let him steal a few kisses since the ball, but she would have no regrets about drowning him if he dared pop up out of this murky lake without Hermione Granger in tow.
Her bracelet lay dull against her wrist, the water apparently too deep and Hermione too far for the charm to find it's twin.
The Malfoys weren't faring much better than Pansy.
Draco was staring at the water, his jaw clenched tightly and his eyes cold. He'd shoved off anyone attempting to comfort him.
Narcissa was currently in the judge's tent set up on the other dock, probably threatening everyone involved in organizing this tournament.
Pansy imagined Ludo Bagman and Percy Weasley cowering while Narcissa loomed over them and almost cracked a smile.
Lucius had went to the ministry to search through the consent forms, demanding to see where someone had signed off on trapping a child at the bottom of a lake filled with all manners of monsters.
The Beauxbatons champion was pacing the dock, speaking in rapid French and demanding to know who allowed her eleven year old sister to participate.
Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang came up fifteen minutes later. Narcissa came rushing out of the tent across the way to stare at the water.
Viktor Krum and Katie Bell five minutes after.
The lake remained still after that for excruciating minutes, until finally a familiar face broke the surface, taking a gasping breath.
Hermione wasn't swimming towards them though, instead she was pulling up a little girl and shoving her forward like the bloody saint she always was. Pansy wanted to shake all that good person shite out of her.
Fleur Delacour had shoved away from her headmistress and dove into the lake, swimming furiously towards her sister. She wasn't alone either.
Draco Malfoy had slung off his robes and plunged in alongside the French girl, ignoring his mother's protests from the other dock.
The two blondes made it to their intended targets, helping the shivering girls swim towards the dock. Pansy ran to meet them at the ladder.
Draco looked furious when Hermione insisted the little Veela girl go up the ladder first, but the witch didn't budge and helped the two French witches up before herself.
Once the two were on the dock, Draco was shoving Hermione up, uncaring when she protested his hand on her bum, while Pansy reached down to grab her robes and haul her up faster.
Pansy didn't hesitate to pull the drenched robes off her friend, snatching the warmed blanket from Madam Pomfrey and wrapping it around Hermione's shoulders.
Draco burrowed under the blanket with the Gryffindor witch, wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her, practically snarling at Madam Pomfrey when she attempted to make him move away.
Narcissa was beside them a moment later, uncaring of her expensive robes as she went to her knees in the puddle of lake water and pulled Hermione to her.
"You wretched girl, why in the world did you agree to this?" Narcissa hissed, pressing kisses to Hermione's cold face. Pansy yelled for another blanket when she noted that Hermione's teeth were still clattering together and her lips were tinged blue.
"Th-they said Harry w-would forfeit if I didn't. I d-didn't want him to lose because of m-me." Hermione managed to say through her shivering. "W-where is Harry?"
Narcissa hissed out a frustrated sigh, before she whipped out her wand and started casting drying charms on Hermione and Draco's clothes. Hermione's hair poofed up to comical proportions.
Pansy got up to walk to the edge of the dock, peering into the water and screeched, seeing Harry Potter floating just beneath the surface, waving at her merrily.
"You bloody nutter. What are you doing?" She snapped once she'd recovered from the shock.
He pointed at his neck, where grotesque gills were protruding from his skin. Then he mimed choking and stuck a webbed hand out into the air.
"You can't breathe air? What are you going to do if you're stuck like that? Hmmm?" Pansy sneered ignoring the people watching her seemingly one sided conversation, "I won't date a fish boy, Potter."
Harry grinned even wider and she watched in disgust as the gills slowly faded, leaving smooth skin.
He popped his head out of the water at that moment, grabbing at the ladder, "So you're saying we are dating?"
"I don't recall you officially asking." She retorted, shoving her foot into his chest and knocking him back off the ladder. He landed with a splash and came up laughing while Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall shooed her away angrily to help him out.
She went back to Hermione and found Draco still had not moved from clutching the witch to his chest, only maneuvering his lower body so that she sat between his legs. Narcissa was back to arguing with the tournament officials.
Harry came over wrapped in his own blanket to wedge himself between Pansy and Hermione despite Pansy's protests.
"I'm glad you're ok. When I realized what they'd stolen, I lost it." Harry told the curly haired girl, "I would have made sure I got to you no matter what. I hope you know that."
"Oh I know Harry. Dumbledore swore we weren't in real danger. They just told everyone that to make it more urgent for the champions."
"Freezing cold water in the middle of bloody Scotland in February is a fucking danger, Granger." Draco finally spoke from where he had his face burrowed in Hermione's frizzy curls, drawing the witch's attention to him.
"Language, Draco." Hermione chided, pressing her lips to his exposed jaw. When Draco lifted his head to kiss Hermione, Pansy and Harry both eased away, not wanting to intrude.
"So Pansy, what was that about dating?" Harry teased as he nudged her.
"I'll shove you back into the lake and let the squid eat you, Potter."
Harry opened his blanket and huddling close to hug her, making Pansy stiffen, but she didn't shove him away. She considered it once more when he chuckled, "The squid likes bread, not boys."
"I have the same tastes as the squid then." She snapped, ignoring the flash of a camera nearby. She glanced at Harry and frowned, flicking a green beetle off his shoulder and watching it shoot across the dock.
Harry just hummed and put his chin on her shoulder. Pansy wondered if she should actually push him into the lake just to keep him on his toes, but decided against it.
He was warm and the wind was cold, no sense in cutting off her nose to freeze her arse off.
"Mrs. Malfoy, I cannot continue to disclose any further information to you about a student that you are not responsible for. I understand your concerns for Miss Granger and admire your tenacity in advocating for her, but you are not her guardian nor listed as a proxy." Albus Dumbledore told the striking woman in front of him.
Her blue eyes flashed and she sneered at him, "Fine."
Narcissa Malfoy twirled on her pointed heel and stormed towards his floo, leaving the same way she arrived.
He sighed once he was alone, wondering at what point Hermione Granger had become a liability instead of an asset.
The Weasleys had little success in inviting her over and making her see reason. Somehow the Malfoys had the girl convinced they were on the side of good and she would hear nothing against them.
The Malfoy boy seemed fond of her, but how long would that fondness last once he was confronted with Voldemort himself. Not long surely.
Albus didn't think the boy would put a school friend above his family and their ways. The relationship would most likely wither away, much as he'd watched it happen between Severus Snape and Lily Evans.
A death eater and muggleborn. A tragic tale that seemed doomed to repeat itself.
Pansy Parkinson was another factor he hadn't seen coming and seeing Harry Potter wrapped around her at the task had come as quite a surprise, even though Albus knew Harry had taken the Slytherin girl to the ball.
The Parkinsons weren't as far into the dark arts as other families, but they were too neutral. When the time came to choose a side, they would save their own skin and direct the girl to feed Harry Potter to the wolves.
He worried more and more for the boy, surrounded by Malfoys, Notts, and others that would see him only as a pawn to curry favor with Tom Riddle when he found his way back to the world of the living.
Albus sat down and looked once more at the destroyed diary on his desk, he was missing a piece of the puzzle, but he didn't know what piece it was or where to start looking for it.
With a deep sigh, he stood back up to head to dinner.
He was not surprised to find several Gryffindors sprinkled amongst the Slytherin table, but he did raise his brows when he saw the French champion sitting between Hermione Granger and Theodore Nott.
Further down, Luna Lovegood was perched between Blaise Zabini and Ginny Weasley while Neville Longbottom chattered away with Pansy Parkinson.
If a war wasn't looming, Albus would have been delighted at the inter-house relations. As it was he worried that when such friendships inevitably crumbled, the fall out would be devastating to all involved.
The next morning when his mail arrived, Albus wondered if he himself had inadvertently set this all in motion by assuming too much about an old friend's loyalty.
To Whom It May Concern,
I, Hector Achilles Dagworth-Granger, as the appointed magical guardian of Hermione Jean Granger hereby declare Narcissa Allegra Malfoy as a legal proxy in the event of my absence.
All parties shall submit and cooperate with her inquiries and in the event of my death, Narcissa Malfoy will overtake all guardianship duties in my place.
Best regards,
H. Dagworth-Granger
Notes:
I don't really like Albus Dumbledore. I understand he is a morally gray character, I understand his motivations and his driving plot, but that don't mean I gotta like him.
Next chapter to be posted either tonight or tomorrow. Depends on my insomnia.
Also, Dobby is not in this story. He just didn't fit with my Malfoys. So. At least you ain't gotta read him dying again I guess.
Chapter 11: War on the Horizon
Summary:
End of fourth year
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
"Pansy is dating you, me, and Theo." Hermione informed Harry as he sat down to breakfast, "I'm dating Malfoy to make you jealous? Hmmm, that should be reversed. Better flow to the narrative."
"Oh Harry iz dating me too." Fleur added looking at the article and cocking her head. "I have alzo been 'aving a torrid affair wiz…Neville?"
"Blaise's line connects to everyone. What a slag." Pansy tutted as the girls looked over what looked like a family tree on the second page of the Prophet.
Harry whined, "I just wanted toast and marmalade. It's too early for this headache."
Pansy grinned mischievously, "Don't you want to see the front page headline, darling?"
Harry didn't trust that smile even though it was pretty, but figured he might as well get it over with, "Hit me."
He yelped when Theo slugged him in the shoulder, "Not literally you wanker!"
"My bad." Theo said, not sounding sorry at all.
Pansy flipped the newspaper over to reveal a photo of Pansy kicking Harry off the ladder as he landed with a splash. It didn't show him laughing as he came back up.
Harry read the caption first, not looking at the bold print just yet. The photo caption stated that Pansy was attempting to feed him to the giant squid and that Harry had just barely escaped the grasping tentacles.
He finally looked at the headline and groaned once more:
TROUBLE IN PARADISE? SLYTHERIN BEAUTY CATCHES BOY WHO LIVED IN AN AFFAIR WITH GRYFFINDOR GOLDEN GIRL
A smaller zoomed in photo showed Harry with his forehead pressed to Hermione's, conveniently cutting out Pansy and Draco, who had both been beside them.
"Also, we have fan mail!" Pansy announced giddily, pulling a pile of letters from seemingly nowhere.
"My favorite so far is from a lovely gentlemen of a mere seventy-four who insists he can heal my broken heart and use my fortune wisely. He included a marriage proposal and a picture." Pansy chortled as she pulled out a photo of an ancient looking man with a bald head, "Isn't he dreamboat?"
"Sounds like he's a nonce." Harry snapped, glaring at the photograph. Pansy shrugged and continued digging through the mail with glee. She pulled one out that told her to kill herself and cackled.
"All of the men will be reported to her father and to Narcissa." Theo whispered and Harry stared at him.
"This happens a lot?" He asked quietly, looking at Pansy with growing concern. She showed Fleur one letter and the French girl curled her lip in disgust.
"Of course. She's a young, beautiful, pureblood heiress to a fortune you can't even comprehend." Theo shrugged and then glanced towards a scowling Draco who was ranting about all the lines connected to Hermione's picture on the relationship tree, "It's not great for any of us to be honest. The bigger the inheritance, the worse it gets. Male or female."
"Surely your parents can do something about it though?" Harry insisted, feeling more upset by the minute.
"They do what they can. We three are more fortunate than others. Not everyone has a Narcissa Malfoy to keep them safe."
Hermione liked Fleur Delacour.
She fit all the qualities Hermione looked for in a friend: she was friendly, she had a great sense of humor, and her moral compass was decidedly gray.
A questionable idea of right and wrong seemed to be a common factor among her friends with only a few exceptions.
"Zere waz a mazz murderer on ze loose in ze castle last year?" Fleur asked one evening over dessert, "Why waz he imprizoned and not just beheaded in ze first place?"
Harry had choked on his treacle tart, while Hermione helpfully thumped him on the pack.
The Slytherins, of course, immediately adopted her into their group. By now their posse was soon taking over the entire far end of the Slytherin table, occasionally switching to the Gryffindor side if there was more room.
Hermione watched as Harry stared at Millicent Bulstrode with narrowed eyes. They were at the Gryffindor table this morning, so it was quite obvious he was staring towards the Slytherin girl.
"What are you staring at Harry?" She asked him.
"She's talking into her hand. She does it a lot. If I didn't know better, I'd say she had a walkie talkie."
"Harry, technology doesn't work at Hogwarts and she's definitely not got the brain power to work a walkie talkie if it did. She's probably smoking or something." She shook her head at the boy. "Stop staring at her before she decides you want to tussle and you find yourself being beat up by Bulstrode the Brute. She got Blaise just the other day."
Blaise stuck his tongue out at Hermione while Harry immediately looked away and started talking to Neville. Hermione noted Ron was chatting with the two boys as well, but she hadn't spoken to him since the ball.
At least he hadn't turned his back on Harry again, she thought bitterly. She was friends with Blaise and Theo, as well as Neville and Harry obviously. So it wasn't a matter of friendship, but like Theo said, a personal fault with Ron.
She turned her attention to other things like sorting her mail. She put aside the good mail and vanished the hateful envelopes and tearing into an envelope without reading the label. She instantly regretted it.
Her detection spells on mail were meant for spells and hexes, not liquids. So when something oozed out all over her hands, she flinched. A gasping sob choked out when her hands started burning as if she'd stuck them straight into a raging fire.
Draco whipped around from where he'd been messing with Blaise to see what was wrong and immediately grabbed his goblet of water to pour it over her hands. It took several cups of water before her hands were clean.
She sobbed harder with each splash of liquid, her hands covered in giant blisters, blood dripping from where several had already burst.
Suddenly Draco was behind her pulling her up from the bench by the waist as she cried, letting him guide her from the Hall.
He was mumbling assurances to her all the way to the infirmary. She tried to quiet her sobs, but more blisters were bursting and she knew she was probably leaving a trail of blood behind her.
When Pomfrey saw her, she immediately led her to a bed. She gently cleaned the wounds and applied a thick paste all over Hermione's hands, then wrapped them in layers of gauze.
"Undiluted bubotuber pus in a letter. What is wrong with people?" The mediwitch muttered when Hermione was able to tell her what happened, then smiled gently. "A few days with that paste and you'll be right as rain, dove."
She left the two sitting to return to her office and Hermione grimaced when she realized she was still covered in blood.
"I need to change."
Draco nodded and got up with her, silent all the way to the common room. When she came out, he was looking at the floor and seemed deep in thought.
"Draco?"
He looked up and opened his arms for a hug. She went immediately and felt him sigh deeply.
"I hate that you're constantly getting hurt or in some type of danger." He whispered, "Especially since I can't do anything to stop it."
She just held him tighter, not sure how to comfort him. He was right unfortunately, she was always in some type of hazardous situation. It wasn't his fault or his responsibility though.
"We probably should go find Pansy before she has a breakdown." He told her, going to hold her hand as they walked and frowning at the bandages.
She smiled and looped her arm through his, "Let's go stop Mount Pansy from erupting and taking our friends as casualities."
"Harry is your friend. He can be a casualty."
She laughed even as she wagged her giant bandaged hand at him in lieu of a chiding finger.
SLYTHERIN SCHEMES: GRYFFINDOR GOLDEN GIRL INJURED IN BATTLE FOR CHAMPIONS HEART?
"How did she know you were injured? And how did she know what was on your hands?" Pansy hissed, "There's a quote from Millicent, but that can be explained away as a letter. Bulstrode wouldn't be able to identify bubotuber pus from across the room."
Theo agreed, "The only ones who know at the point this would have been printed were you, Draco, and Madam Pomfrey. I didn't even know what it was until you told me later. Yet Skeeter directly states what oozed onto your hands and the reaction in detail."
"I swear she's got the place bugged." Harry muttered then glanced at Hermione, "I know it's not possible before you start."
"Bugged?" Draco asked, "What's that mean?"
"Sort of like hidden microphones or devices to listen in on people's conversat-" Hermione stopped mid-sentence.
It all made sense suddenly.
Harry having an aching scar by an open window.
Pansy flicking a bug off Harry's shoulder at the second task.
Milicent talking into her hand.
A bug indeed.
"Draco, can you help me write a letter?" She asked him. He nodded, as she knew he would. He'd spent all of their classes yesterday taking two sections of notes for her since she couldn't write with her hands wrapped up.
"It's to your father."
Dear Hermione,
I don't understand why you needed a list of registered animagi, but I hope your retribution is fruitful.
Narcissa asked me to assure you that she is handling the mail going forward.
Lucius
"Mrs. Weasley, you don't believe all that rubbish in the Prophet do you?" Harry asked Ron's mother when she gave a stiff greeting to Hermione.
"Oh…Well…" Molly sputtered and looked embarrassed.
"It's all mostly nonsense. Hermione is very happy with Draco and I'm with Pansy. No intermingling going on."
The woman was flushed, but was warmer towards Hermione, if a little awkward.
Hermione tried to stay polite, but excused herself shortly after to go sit with Draco and the other Slytherins.
"You sit at a different table?" Molly asked surprised.
"Yes, Neville is over there too. Sometimes Ginny comes as well." Hermione smiled and she knew it looked fake, "Harry did you want me to see if Pansy would come over?"
"It's up to her. I know she's not comfortable when it's just her without you as her security blanket." He laughed and she rolled her eyes.
"If she wants me to, I'll come back over with her." Hermione promised. Going to squeeze between Draco and Pansy, relaying Harry's message.
Pansy didn't want to go, but as soon as Hermione mentioned how rude Molly had been, she smiled in that way that always meant trouble.
Draco and Theo grinned and propped up their heads in their hands to watch the show.
"Pansy…" Hermione said slowly, but was unable to stop the girl from rising and pulling Hermione with her. She did her little sashay walk towards the Gryffindors, Hermione digging in her heels slightly and wishing she could flee.
They sat across from Molly, Ron, and Bill who looked rather amused by the fake smile plastered on Pansy's face.
Harry looked like he regretted waking up that morning when Pansy leaned over to give him a loud smooch on the cheek.
"Hello Mrs. Weasley, I'm Pansy."
Hermione let out a breath. That hasn't been so bad at all. Nice, polite, nothing wrong with that.
Then Pansy continued, "The scarlet woman that's been two-timing Harry."
Harry just put his head down while Molly gaped at the girl. Hermione covered her face with her hands and noticed Ron trying to sink under the table.
Bill was about to fall off the bench he was laughing so hard. He did actually fall when he laid eyes on Fleur Delacour as she sat down beside Hermione.
Narcissa held Lucius' hand tightly as he broke out into a sweat.
Hector was busy chatting with Hermione and the boys thankfully, so no one was witnessing her husband in pain from the call of the mark.
It was important to be here with the cameras even if Lucius was suffering. This way, no one from Dumbledore's little rebel group could accuse the Malfoys of being involved in whatever it was.
She only had to wait ten minutes to find out what the call was for when Harry Potter landed with a thump onto the grass, the Triwizard cup glowing with a fading portkey spell.
He was gripping the body of the other Hogwarts champion who stared unseeing towards the sky. Obviously the killing curse.
Potter was screaming, "He's back! Voldemort is back!"
Lucius' grip was painfully tight, but she held on. Her son took her free hand and squeezed just like his father.
Hermione was standing at the entrance to the infirmary, staring at Dumbledore, who was blocking her from going inside.
"I'm sorry, Miss Granger. This is a private time."
"Ron is in there." She replied flatly.
"Mr. Weasley is not…compromised in the same way that you may be. I implore you not to make a scene." Dumbledore tried for kindness and it enraged her.
"You let me in there to see Harry or I will really make a scene you'll never forget!" She shrieked, knowing her voice was shrill and uncaring. "I have never and will never betray Harry! How dare you imply otherwise!"
Dumbledore didn't get a chance to say much besides a condescending 'Miss Granger' when a voice came from beyond the headmasters shoulder.
"Let Hermione in please. Harry is asking for her."
She ducked under Dumbledore's arm before he could refuse and almost knocked into Ron Weasley.
"Thank you." She whispered, hugging him quickly and letting go, "Where is Harry?"
"This way." Ron waved her on, shocking her when he gave the headmaster a cold look.
She would ask about it later, in private. She kept running to see Harry and throwing herself onto the bed with him and the large black dog that laid across his lap.
"Harry! Padfoot!" She wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and laughed when the dog gave her a friendly lick on the cheek.
She clambered down from the bed when the Weasleys bustled over, Molly still treating her awkwardly since Harry had reprimanded her.
As Molly fussed over Harry, something caught Hermione's eye, skittering across the windowsill.
Hermione lunged forward and snapped her hands closed around the green beetle with a audible smack.
When she looked up, everyone was staring at her in confusion. Knowing her better than the others, Harry and Ron were studying her.
She smiled and apologized for the noise, mouthing the word later at the two boys and they nodded.
She ducked out from the curtained area to ask Madam Pomfrey for a jar.
A few breathing holes and a quick impervius spell later, Hermione was staring into the jar at an acid green beetle with red markings reminiscent of a certain reporter's glasses.
"Hello there, Rita." She smiled slowly at the skittering bug. "I think soon it will be time for us to have a little heart to heart."
She shoved the jar into her deepest pocket and cast a silencing spell onto the jar as well, just so the woman wouldn't hear anything.
When she got back around the curtain, she was wrapped into the tattooed arms of Sirius Black. She hugged him back tightly and laughed when he asked after Crookshanks.
When she pulled away, she noted Albus Dumbledore giving her an assessing gaze.
She glared back at him, relieved when Ron noticed and came to stand with her in solidarity.
The headmaster turned from the duo and cast silencing spells around the room, then started giving instructions to the people that remained.
People to see. Places to check into. Missions to fulfill.
The war had begun.
Albus decided he would trust Hermione Granger. Simply for the fact that if he didn't, she could very well cause more problems.
He had certainly not expected Ron Weasley to stand with her.
So he would just watch over the girl, but not directly challenge her again. Harry could not start feeling alienated, the prophecy required his cooperation.
"Hermione, what was it you were doing on the windowsill?" Ron asked once the train was moving.
Their compartment was getting quite full with the addition of Ron into the fold. Only after he and Theo had went for a chat.
Hermione squeezed on one side with Draco, Pansy, Harry, and Ron. Pansy only fitting because she was halfway in Harry's lap.
Theo, Neville, Luna, Blaise, and Ginny were on the other bench. Luna's legs draped across Blaise's lap while she sat on Ginny.
"Oh! I forgot to tell you didn't I?" Hermione smiled and grabbed for her bag. "Pansy, I think you'll be very proud."
Pansy perked up at this and looked at Hermione's bag curiously.
"You all remember of course, Skeeter and her little problem with twisting information? Information she should not have been able to find out?"
They all nodded, the Slytherins hushing Ron and Ginny when they tried to rush her. The snakes appreciated a good bit of dramatic flare.
"Harry mentioned something that day after my hands were injured. About bugging."
"You said it wasn't possible though?" Harry interjected, Pansy smacking him and shushing him.
"I was right. It's not, but it gave me an idea. So I had Draco help me write to his father to get some information. Then I began my hunt."
She opened her bag and reached in a hand, closing it around the glass jar.
"It turns out, my hunch was correct. Rita Skeeter did have the castle bugged because…"
She pulled out the jar and held it aloft, "Rita Skeeter is the bug. She's an unregistered animagus."
The group went wild, grabbing at the jar and peering into look at the beetle trapped inside.
Hermione was shoved back against the seat by Pansy throwing herself onto Hermione's lap.
"This is positively mad! Trapping a woman in a jar! Draco we've raised her right!" Pansy squealed, leaning forward to snatch the jar from Theo.
"Hello, you dreadful bitch!" Pansy crowed, shaking the jar roughly and rattling the beetle about. "If I see the names Potter, Parkinson, or Granger written by your quill again, I'll feed you to Hermione's cat."
Hermione laughed, taking the jar back, and looked over to Draco to see him grinning viciously, "I assume you're giving her to mother?"
Hermione nodded, "I don't really fancy keeping her to be honest. I have told her that a letter has been drafted that will go to the aurors office if she decides to target me or my friends again. A little trip to Azkaban should let her reflect on any errors in her headlines."
Hermione lifted the jar to where Crookshanks lay in the overhead storage. The feline licked his sharp teeth and pawed at the lid, sharp claws sliding through the air holes, "Although Pansy's idea does have merit, doesn't it Crooksie?"
She slid the jar back into her bag and when she went to hand it to Draco he was looking at her dumbstruck.
"Draco?"
"You are so unbelievably attractive right now." He told her sincerely, uncaring that everyone was listening. Hermione blushed hotly.
Blaise and Theo both agreed making Draco scowl at them. Pansy sighed, "I wish I liked girls. If I did, I'd have locked you down way before Draco. We'd have been unstoppable."
"Oi!" Harry snapped when Hermione kissed Pansy's cheek affectionately, "What am I? Second choice?"
"Only when compared to Hermione darling." Pansy patted his cheek.
Narcissa tapped the jar with her manicured nails, contemplating on if she should use this tool or squash it. Literally.
Lucius came in and when she put a finger to her lips, he raised a brow, staring at the jar.
"What's this, my love?" He asked and bent to examine the container.
"A gift." Narcissa smiled slowly, "From our future daughter."
Lucius peered at the jar, pondering it before he laughed, "Such an intelligent girl, our Hermione. That's why she needed the list of registered animagus. Who exactly is this then?"
"Rita Skeeter." Narcissa picked up the jar and turned it about, speculating.