Once they made it back to Hogsmeade, Theo gave her a lingering gaze before he left. She couldn't decipher what his eyes held, leaving her uncertain as to what emotions and thoughts were brewing within him. He was such an enigma to her. One minute he made her feel like she could see the cracks in the walls he had put around him, and the next, he was a stranger to her, treating her as a nuisance that had barged into his life. She couldn't understand why he had tried so hard to get her to help him if he had no intention of sharing any important information with her about his knowledge. It infuriated her.

The sun had already set and there was still an hour or so before the dinner started. Although Hermione didn't have much of an appetite, she wanted to make an appearance, in case her absence during the day might have been noticed. For now, she decided on a shower and later focusing on completing her homework due on Monday.

When she made it onto the school grounds, there was no one in sight. She thought it better to use the main entrance, as to not raise any suspicions that she was actually sneaking back in, rather than just casually coming back from a long stroll.

Hermione was about to find the warmth awaiting her inside the school walls when she heard a deep drawl, freezing her in place.

"You two make quite the pair."

She immediately recognized the voice. Stepping out from the shadows, a thin figure of none other than Draco Malfoy greeted her. In the dim light, she could see the dark circles under his eyes, far more pronounced than the ones she would sport when her nightmares grew too dark for her to handle. He appeared to have lost weight since she first saw him back at Hogwarts. Instead of his usual perfectly combed back hair, it was now disheveled, sticking out in all kinds of directions. His face was contorted in a grimace—something between a sneer and a scowl.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, unsure of what to make of his words. It wasn't that she and Theo were hiding their interactions, as they had been seen together before, but recently they had been mostly seeing each other in their secret spot, away from prying eyes and ears. Their day-to-day communication was usually minimal and mainly related to academic matters when they were surrounded by others.

"Don't play dumb. It's unbecoming of you," Malfoy growled, sounding annoyed. "My questions is, how much do you know?"

This took her by surprise. She had expected various remarks and insults regarding her spending time with his friend—what he was asking her was outside the realm of possibilities she had imagined. She didn't think that Theo would reveal to Malfoy that he had asked for her assistance, considering that Hermione was nothing more than a lowly Muggle-born girl in Malfoy's eyes. Or could it be that Malfoy put it all together by himself? Her mind was in a whirlwind, trying hard to find the right answer.

"Theo didn't tell me anything I haven't already figured out myself," she decided to say, which was technically the truth. Theo had only confirmed her suspicions, and kept every other information to himself. She wondered briefly if Theo had actually asked for Malfoy's permission to share his knowledge with her and had been met with refusal, or he had yet to find the courage to do so, leaving Malfoy growing distrustful. Hence their current conversation.

Malfoy just stared at her darkly, weighting her words.

"Just so you know, the moment this curse had spread, this isn't about you anymore," she told him, hating how she was being played by two Slytherins. "And if I were you, I'd be very worried of the consequences it entails and the force of impact it could crush you with when all of this gets out."

"Don't talk to me about consequences," he spat out at her and his face turned red with anger. "And do not threaten me," he said, his voice laced with a silent threat of his own.

"Are you blind?" she asked, her temper rising. "It's just a matter of time before the word reaches the outside world that there's dark magic involved at Hogwarts. Even if they might not connect it to you at first, who do you think the first suspicion will fall on?"

Malfoy blanched at her words, his eyes flashing with anger and something that, if she was speaking with anyone else, she would take for a pang of hurt. His jaw set tightly and without making another comment, he slipped away into the darkness.

Minutes after his departure, she remained frozen in place, unable to move. She felt as if her head was about to explode, searing with conflicting emotions, unanswered questions, decisions she had to make, problems she had to deal with, and the absence of solutions she desperately needed.

It was one of those rare moments in her life when she didn't know what to do.

She tossed and turned all night, and come Sunday early morning, she got out of bed with an idea in her head. She was supposed to meet with Theo to continue their lessons, but she was tired of the back and forth with him and made her own plans instead. He could be the one left hanging for once.

She went down to the Owlery with a letter addressed to Harry in hand. If the information mentioned in that book from Theo's family collection about the curse being intended for powerful Houses was true, she wanted to ask Harry if it was fine with him if she could take a peak at any old tomes that belonged to Sirius' family, focusing on the topics of curses and dark magic. The Black House was an old, powerful one. She figured that they would be the ones who would hold onto such knowledge. She had gone through some of the books at their residence, when it served as a hideout for Order of the Phoenix. The Malfoys definitely possessed an impressive library as well. Had Malfoy and Theo gone through anything from their collection?

Hermione had no idea how to explain to Harry why she needed that kind of data, so she stressed in her letter that she just needed him to trust her, and that it was very important and time-sensitive. She dearly hoped it would be enough to persuade him and keep him from sending number of letters in return, pressing for details.

The Christmas break was closing in, and she dreaded the consequences if they hadn't broken the effects of the curse by then.

She also entertained the idea of reaching out to Andromeda Tonks, the mother of a fallen Order Member, Nymphadora Tonks, that fought alongside them at the Battle of Hogwarts. Tonks, who later became Lupin after marrying Remus Lupin, was someone Hermione admired and looked up to. As an Auror and a skilled fighter, Tonks was a testament to the capabilities of women in achieving great things. Although Andromeda might have been estranged from the Black family, Hermione hoped that she might still possess knowledge about their past actions and affairs. She knew Harry had good relations with her, as he was the godfather to her grandson, Teddy, who sadly lost both of his parents at such a young age—she could always ask him for help in reaching out to her.

The problem lay in the fact that if she chose to speak with her, she would have to share the entire story of what she was dealing with. If Theo was hesitant to involve the Headmistress, the idea of involving Andromeda would surely not appeal to him. However, Andromeda wasn't directly involved in the affair and Hermione was hoping to count on her discretion. She intended to discuss it with Theo, but if he remained resistant, she would take matters into her own hands, regardless of his opinion. She was done being passive and indecisive.

Right now, one of the decisions she was determined to make, unrelated to breaking the curse, was to reconcile with Ginny. Ever since that fateful day when her friend had said some deeply hurtful words, they hadn't been exactly on speaking terms. She could tell that Ginny was ashamed of her behavior, but the curse was affecting her strongly, and she was keeping her distance. Ginny was a dear friend to her. Hermione wasn't going to let some dark magic destroy her friendship. She would stand by her friend no matter what. It was time for her to mend what she had the power to.

She found Ginny curled up with a book in the Gryffindor Common Room. She could spot the tension seep into Ginny's posture the moment her eyes set on Hermione's figure walking towards her. The flash of desire to flee was visible in her friend's eyes, but that didn't deter Hermione. It only set her decision in stone—if she wanted to save her friendship, she would have to be the one to make the first move in order to repair it.

"Hi, Ginny," she said, causally and as gleefully as she could, pushing the sound of her friend's words playing in her mind to the back of it.

"Hi," she heard an uncertain response in return.

She sat down tentatively on the couch next to her, keeping just a little bit of distance between them. She had practiced in her head the things to say to Ginny, but she still found herself unsure of how to approach her.

"I'm not mad at you," she started, willing her voice to come out strong. "I know you're not yourself right now and I know you didn't mean it."

Ginny was silent for a minute, staring at her with sadness. "I don't know what's happening to me," she finally said with tears welling up in her eyes.

Hermione's resolve broke and she took Ginny's hand in her, scooting in closer. "I know," she whispered softly. "It's not your fault."

Ginny fully broke down, resting her head on Hermione's shoulder. "Please, help me."

Hermione wanted nothing more in that moment than to fulfill Ginny's plea. Unfortunately, she was nowhere near lifting the curse that had taken hold of Hogwarts' student body. Her heart was breaking for her friend and she hated how hopeless she was feeling right now.

"I'll do anything in my power to help you. I promise."

Ginny cried for what felt like an eternity to Hermione. Her sobs came out in uncontrollable waves and Hermione rubbed soothing circles onto her back in an attempt to calm her down. Hermione kept whispering the words of support to her, telling her that everything would be alright, although she wasn't so sure of it herself. The sight of her friend breaking down in her arms pushed her towards a decision.

After leaving Ginny to sleep her emotions off, she set to find the Headmistress. She was going to tell her everything that she knew, even though it wasn't much, and hope that she could find an ally in her.

Before noon, she found herself in her office, letting the words slip out of her mouth, and feel her heart beat just a little bit faster.

"I see," the Headmistress said, her expression thoughtful and gaze stern.

Hermione was fully aware that she was betraying Theo's trust, but she already felt as if she was teetering on the edge of the cliff either way. No matter what she did, it wasn't enough, and the time to fix this mess was dwindling. If there was any chance that Professor McGonagall could help in any capacity, she would take it.

"Are you going to notify the Ministry?" she asked, unable to hide the worry at the thought from her voice.

The Headmistress folded her hands at the desk, looking her straight in the eye. "I have a friend at the Ministry, a Curse-breaker, who I can trust to keep it to himself for the time being," she said. "I'll see what I can find out."

Hermione nodded at her, thankful. When she was in the doorway, she stopped, playing with the sleeve of her sweater in a sign of nervousness. "Professor?"

Professor McGonagall shot her an attentive look.

"I know I'm just a student, but—" she paused for a second, unsure if she should voice her request. "I would really appreciate it if you could share with me what you learn."

The Headmistress sent her a genuine smile. "Miss Granger, you're hardly just a student here," she told her, reassuringly. "Thank you for coming to me with this issue."

Hermione reciprocated her smile, but felt torn whether the Headmistress response was something she should feel hopeful about or not.