A/N: I've been looking forward to uploading this chapter - enjoy the bug hunt! Because it's short compared to the others and because I can't wait to get to the last four chapters of this part of the series there will be another chapter tomorrow :)

Thanks to Sue for beta reading!

In the months following the Second Task and leading to the Third Task, Dumbledore lay completely low. They heard nothing. The Ministry was still busy with damage control each time a Death Eater released some new information, but there was no further statement from Dumbledore himself.

Hermione knew that her father had set a few Death Eaters on his trail so that they could at least find out where he was and maybe what he was doing. Without success.

Ron had told them that Dumbledore had contacted members of the Order of the Phoenix, like his parents, but it had only been a short note saying they should keep themselves ready and that there would be another war. Supposedly, he had proof that Voldemort was coming back and everything the Malfoys and Hermione did was just to distract the general public and possibly even to make people turn against Dumbledore and therefore make it easier for her father to get to power. Unfortunately, Molly and Arthur Weasley very much fell for that. Their children, on the other hand, were a different matter. Ron, the twins and Ginny were all on their side. So was Charlie – who was a dragon keeper in Romania. So the one Hermione had overheard had indeed been a Weasley. Ron wasn't sure about his oldest brother Bill; he hadn't seen him in person for a while, since he was a Curse-Breaker and was currently working on a case abroad. Percy, who had graduated last year, was Mr Crouch's personal assistant and very much against Death Eaters and 'Voldemort'.

There was, however, a more pressing matter at the moment. At least in Hermione's opinion. Rita Skeeter kept writing about small details of what was going on at Hogwarts that suggested that she either had a very good spy or she could enter the school unseen. All the while, Hermione kept seeing the bug.

When there was an article about Hermione and Draco often vanishing into the girls' bathroom, speculating what they were doing in there, causing Lucius, who still didn't know about Ferelith and the Chamber of Secrets, to ask questions, too, she had enough. She took a vial from her Potions supplies, hid it in her pocket, and dragged her boyfriend out of the common room.

"Where are we going?" He asked curiously. "I was doing homework."

"You can finish that later." She looked around carefully. No bug to be seen. She still kept her voice very low. "Just trust me. Act normally and play along with whatever I'm doing." She kissed him, just to make sure he couldn't refuse. "Please?" She looked up at him with a sweet smile.

He chuckled. "Sure." When he was following her, he did look a little sceptical, but to his credit, he dropped that pretty quickly and put an arm around her as they walked upstairs towards the bathrooms of the first floor.

When they got there, Hermione saw a bug on the wall – what a surprise. Apparently, the next article was supposed to be about what they were doing in the bathroom. Well, that was not going to happen.

She made a show of looking around, walking more slowly until other students had passed them and the corridor was empty. Then she hurried towards the bathroom door and looked in. "No one there, come on," she said with a conspiratorial smile to Draco. She held the door open for him and gave him – and the bug – some extra time to enter. Then she kissed Draco and, as if by chance, directed him towards the wall the bug had landed on.

When their lips parted for a moment, Draco looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face. "Aren't we going …" She kissed him again to make him shut up. He was not to mention the Chamber now.

When they had reached the wall, Hermione pressing Draco against it, still kissing him, making it look like they were making out. Then she reached into her pocket. She did not pay any attention to the bug, but from the corner of her eye, she saw it watching them. Or rather she was.

To distract from what her right hand was doing, her left reached into Draco's hair, gabbing it, pulling him closer into the kiss – and then her right hand moved swiftly and the bug was caught in the vial.

She let go of Draco, who was a little out of breath, and focused on the vial, the large bug buzzing against the glass. "Don't try to turn back now. The glass is enchanted. It won't break." The bug stopped buzzing and looked at her in shock. Well, as shocked as a bug could look.

"What are you doing?"

She grinned at her boyfriend while sealing the vial with a cork. "This went better than I expected. Why don't you say hi to Miss Skeeter?"

His eyes widened. "She's an Animagus?"

"Yes, probably an illegal one." She smiled sweetly at the bug. "Isn't that right?"

The bug still stared at her.

Draco smirked. "So you were using me to catch a bug?"

She laughed. "I didn't hear you complain before."

She placed a Silencing Charm on the vial and pocketed it. She would keep her for a little while to show that she wasn't playing and she didn't want her to listen in on her and her friends.

Roughly a week later, Hermione was sitting in the Chamber of Secrets, talking to her father and the Malfoys. Her father had just told her that the Death Eaters still hadn't been able to find Dumbledore when Lucius spoke up.

"There also hasn't been another article by Skeeter. What is she doing?" He had a point, there had been an article by her every other day at the least since the whole thing had started with the announcement of the champions. Even if it had been something minor and she had just managed to make it sound interesting.

"She's indisposed," Hermione said with a small smile.

"Indisposed?" Abraxas sounded suspicious. "How do you know that?"

"Because I caught her in a glass vial, which is currently standing on my night stand."

"Pardon me?"

"She's an illegal Animagus. A bug. I saw it buzzing around more and more often recently and every time Skeeter knew exactly what had been going on at the time and wrote about it. So I'll keep her for a little while to make sure she knows how serious I am and then I will inform her about some new rules I set up."

Her father laughed. The Malfoys didn't, although Lucius did look impressed. She couldn't see Abraxas or Narcissa, but Narcissa spoke up now. "Hermione, you can't keep her in a vial for days."

"I caught her about a week ago. Don't worry, I'm feeding her."

Her father was still laughing. "Oh, this is great."

She grinned.

"Of course you would think that." Despite his words, Abraxas sounded amused, almost fond, Hermione thought.

"How long are you planning to keep her?" Her father didn't sound disapproving, merely interested.

"Another week or two. Then I'll take her to the Forbidden Forest, let her out and have a little chat. Don't worry, I'm taking Draco and Theo, too."

"Who was feeding her when you were home this weekend?" Narcissa asked.

"Daphne and Pansy. Really, she's fine."

"I doubt she'd agree." Lucius was smiling, then looked up, obviously at Narcissa, because he quickly wiped the smile off his face.

Hermione suppressed a grin. "Trust me, she won't spy on us again and she won't dare to write anything negative about us anymore. Also, if we ever need something specific published in the Prophet, I'm sure she'll be agreeable.

Her father obviously wasn't impressed by Narcissa, because he was still smiling. "You're brilliant."

"Tom!"

"Narcissa, she's right. The idea is good."

"Forget it." Abraxas obviously addressed Narcissa, too. "Nothing you can say will convince them to let her out even a day earlier than Hermione intends."

Hermione grinned, then focused on her father. "Can you send someone to check whether she's indeed not registered? I'm reasonably sure about it, but I don't want to threaten her with exposure just to have her telling me that she's registered." There were several Death Eaters in Ministry positions; this shouldn't be a problem.

"I will."

Hermione chose to let her out exactly three weeks after she had caught her.

Together with Draco and Theo, she made her way to the Forbidden Forest. They didn't go in far, just far enough not to be seen or heard, like she did with Igor when she practised the Dark Arts or Blood Magic.

She sat down on a large stone, lifted the Silencing Charm from the vial and looked at the bug. "You can hear me now, I suppose. Buzz once, if you can." The bug buzzed. "Very good. I'll open the vial now and I'll let you out. You will transform back and we'll talk like civilised people. No trying to get away and no attacking us. Is that clear?" Another buzz. "Brilliant," Hermione beamed and removed the cork, but kept her finger on the opening. "Please remember that all three of us were trained by Lucius Malfoy. He was my father's right-hand man in the war. We learned a lot." She removed her finger.

All three of them had their wands out when the bug flew out of the vial, landed on the ground and transformed into Rita Skeeter. She looked a little roughed up, but otherwise healthy.

"Hello, Miss Skeeter." Her tone was conversational, pleasant.

"Have you lost your mind, you little …?"

"But Miss Skeeter, I believe we agreed on a civilised conversation. Please have a seat." She gestured towards a log opposite her. Skeeter hesitated, but sat down. The two boys remained standing behind Hermione, backing her up in case it became necessary.

"I had someone check whether you are a registered Animagus. You are not." Her father had sent Barty to look it up. "But don't worry. I'm perfectly capable of keeping a secret. If you're cooperative. Otherwise, I may see myself forced to write a report and you will end up in Azkaban. I heard it's not exactly pleasant there. But it's completely your choice."

The woman looked livid. "Cooperative how?"

"Firstly, you will stop spying on us. That's easy enough, isn't it?"

Skeeter took a deep breath. "Alright. But I suppose that's not all."

"No. Secondly, you will stop writing made-up articles about me, my friends, the Malfoys, Death Eaters in general and my father. Don't worry, I'm not asking you to lie. Although I know you have little trouble with that. But you will stick to the truth and if in doubt, I'll tell you what the truth is."

The reporter huffed. "And how am I supposed to know that you're actually telling the truth?"

"You'll just have to trust me," Hermione said calmly and ignored Skeeter's mocking laugh. "Lastly, one day, we may ask you for a favour in return for our silence. A specific publication for example. That day may never come, but if it does, you will write what we tell you to write." She smiled. Yes, she had kind of quoted "The Godfather", but Rita would never know, not even Draco and Theo would. "And don't think I'm your only problem. Several people know. They're trustworthy, but they know. Are we agreed?"

The reporter stayed silent for a rather long time, but eventually she nodded.

~tbc~