With only a couple days before classes started back up again, Hermione began to work very quickly. Writing to Tom in the diary helped produce a sketch of the pendant she was meant to create, and after several failed transfiguration attempts, she managed it – a dark pewter pendant of a skull with a snake emerging from its mouth. It was a rather ugly design, and Hermione shuddered as she set it aside, transfiguring a chain and clasp to put it on. It certainly looked Dark.
The book on Herpo the Foul was old and had no copyright charms. It certainly held Dark information, and Hermione duplicated the book as another artifact to plant for her frame job. Undoubtedly, the book would be confiscated and lend credence to its owner being the Heir. Hermione would be careful to keep her own copy hidden.
With much reluctance, Hermione had decided it was worth the risk to give Tom a temporary body in order to get his blood. Dark magic stained one's blood as well as one's magical reserve, a fact Hermione was suddenly unexpectedly grateful for. Without the Dark Lord's blood to help frame her victim, there'd be no 'proof' of guilt, and without the 'Heir' caught, nothing would go back to normal. Tom was immensely pleased with the situation when she finally agreed to drain her magic into the diary.
Even just stretching for a few minutes would be wonderful he wrote to her. And if you do it once, it'll be easier to get you to do it a second time.
Though Hermione had no intentions of ever 'letting Tom out' again, even she had to concede he had a point.
One of the more difficult tasks she had was how to make the person she was framing think that they could have possibly been the Heir. If a Legilimens could clearly see innocence in a person's mind, she doubted they'd be believed to be the Heir. After much debating and reluctance, it was with Luna's suggestion in mind that Hermione took Tracey with her to Lockhart's office, where he welcomed them with great pleasure.
"Excellent to see two of my favorite students!" he told them, pleased. "All this monster business has got the castle so riled up, and as I keep telling everyone, it's unnecessary. I've almost got this whole matter figured out, and it'll be sorted in no time at all!"
He grinned at them, winking, and Tracey swooned, smiling dopily back. Hermione rolled her eyes and elbowed her.
"So how can I help you lovely ladies?" he asked, his bright smile flawless. Hermione's parents would have been proud of his toothcare, she noted idly.
"We were just hoping," Tracey began, "that you—well, if you would teach us, if you're not busy—"
"We want to learn about Memory Charms," Hermione cut in. "Can you help us?"
Lockhart had gone very still.
"Memory Charms?" he said, his voice politely confused. "I'm afraid that's hardly Defense Against the Dark Arts, my dears! Perhaps Professor Flitwick would be a better resource for your curiosity?"
"Probably, but I wanted to learn from you," Tracey told him. She blushed and smiled up at him. "You're my favorite teacher, and I'm sure you remember all about them from school, right?"
Lockhart looked torn, and Hermione watched as he warred with himself.
"It's just a few easy questions," Tracey assured him. "I know you're probably busy writing your next best-seller, and I wouldn't want to take you away from that! Maybe a few quick questions and a demonstration, and we'll be on our way." She paused, blushing. "…and maybe an autograph?"
Tracey's flattery worked, and Hermione could see Lockhart's chest puff back up.
"Why, of course!" he said. "I was top of my class in Hogwarts—"
Hermione was sure this was a lie.
"—and I would be happy to help two bright minds expand their knowledge of magic!"
He winked at them and Tracey giggled and blushed. Hermione tried to look as enraptured as Tracey, but it was difficult to act so unashamedly for her.
"So. Memory Charms." Lockhart grew more serious. "A Memory Charm is a very particular, fiddly thing. Though the magic itself isn't hard, casting it successfully is much more difficult. It is one thing to wipe someone's memories; it is quite another to wipe away the memory you mean to wipe away."
"What do you mean?" Tracey asked.
"Memory Charms, by nature, wipe away memories," Lockhart said. "But some are easier than others. The Ministry's Obliviation Squad, for instance, has great skill in wiping particular memories from muggles, whereas Aurors do not – they tend to only be able to wipe away the last few minutes of something, when a muggle saw something they should not. Anything further requires a professional."
"Is it difficult, to find a particular memory to wipe away?" Hermione asked. "How does it work?"
"The caster must have a very firm purpose in place," Lockhart said. "Wiping a memory takes time and concentrated casting – one must make sure to sever all connecting details, lest the memory return through careful prodding. Uncareful memory-wiping can result in an obviously tampered-with memory, a sort of mental fog or cloud, which is, of course, decidedly not the goal of an elegant caster."
"You're so smart," Tracey praised. "You always know so much."
"Well, I pride myself on being well-read," Lockhart said, giving her a grin and a wink.
"Is it possible to plant a false memory?" Hermione asked, thoughtful.
"That's virtually impossible, my dear!" Lockhart told her emphatically. "And thank goodness it is! Can you imagine the disaster the Aurors would have if people with false memories came forward and confessed to crimes they didn't commit? No, memory is too precise. Wiping away a memory is one thing – to create a memory, you'd have to practically be inside a person's mind to make one! And even then, it would read as faked – none of the sensory details would be there that make a memory so vivid. No, no, it's quite impossible."
Hermione bit her lip, wondering.
"Can you show us?" Tracey asked, rapt. "Can you tell me a secret, and then erase my memory?"
Lockhart looked startled by the request.
"Miss Davis, modifying someone's memory is a delicate process—" he began.
"But it'd just be the last few minutes," Tracey said. "You said that was easier, right?"
"And we want to know how to recognize if we've been mind-wiped," Hermione chimed in. "If we're going to try and be adventurers like you someday, we're bound to make enemies along the way."
Lockhart seemed easily swayed, and he grinned and straightened up, withdrawing his wand.
"If you insist," he said congenially, his eyes twinkling. "You first, Miss Davis?"
Tracey stepped forward, eager. Lockhart leaned down.
"I absolutely despise pumpkin juice," he told her seriously.
Tracey giggled, and Lockhart straightened, aiming his wand.
"Obliviate!"
Hermione watched as Tracey's eyeballs rolled in her skull for a moment, her eyes going cloudy before refocusing. She looked puzzled for a moment.
"You were going to tell me a secret, right?" she said. "So you could memory charm me?"
"But my dear, I already did!" Lockhart boasted. "Such was my skill you never even knew I did!"
"Really?" Tracey's eyes went wide, and she appeared to be thinking hard.
"He did," Hermione confirmed. "Such skill! It looked so simple for you, Professor!"
"Well, one does not become a great wizard without some modicum of skill," Lockhart said modestly. "Now, Miss Granger! Your turn!"
It was with great trepidation that Hermione stepped forward, anxious. Lockhart leaned down towards her.
"My favorite food," he said quietly, as if bestowing a great secret, "is muggle Indian curry."
Hermione did her best to look appropriately honored by this secret, and Lockhart straightened, aiming his wand at her. Hermione tensed and winced.
"Obliviate!"
She was abruptly dropped into a land of fire, a river of lava and flame surging up in front of her as a shield. This time, however, there seemed to be a system of caves carved into the igneous rock walls, flames swirling around to defend the entrances to those. Across the river of fire, Hermione could see Lockhart trying to peer in at her, and Hermione realized what had happened.
He couldn't access her mind to remove the memory.
The ritual she had done with Draco had more implications than she'd ever realized. Hermione had designed it to prevent mental intrusion from Legilimency, but a Memory Charm was a form of mental intrusion as well, wasn't it? Apparently the ritual was able to defend her from that as well.
Suddenly she was back in herself, Lockhart looking at her with surprise.
"Do you know Occlumency, Miss Granger?" he said. "I wasn't able to wipe your memory at all."
Hermione blinked.
"I don't know what that is, Professor," she lied. She batted her eyelashes at him, innocent and open. "What's Occlumency?"
Lockhart looked surprised, then thoughtful, then cheered.
"You appear to be a natural Occlumens!" he told her, proudly. "It means no one can get into your mind. I, of course, am highly trained in the art of Occlumency, so my many enemies cannot penetrate my mind, but to find a natural one! And you are only what, twelve?"
"Thirteen," Hermione corrected, but Lockhart didn't care.
"I'm sure my example to you all year has helped shape your mind," he told her, giving her a grin. "Your mind knew you wanted to follow in my footsteps, and it developed the shield it would need to keep you safe as you become an adventuring hero yourself!"
Tracey praised Lockhart for his skill and his excellence as a role model while Hermione fought not to show obvious disgust or roll her eyes. Soon enough, Tracey was thanking him profusely and getting a signed photo from him, and they waved good-bye to Lockhart as they left, closing his office door behind him.
After they turned the corner from his office on the way back to the Slytherin common room, Tracey let her sycophant act drop.
"Did you get what you needed?" she asked.
"Kind of," Hermione said, frowning. "If a Memory Charm is forcefully invading someone's memory to change it, unless they agree to it beforehand, that's Dark magic."
"Dark?" Tracey scoffed. "A Memory Charm isn't Dark."
"It is, unless you have their consent," Hermione argued. "Anything that forcefully asserts your will over someone else's is Dark magic."
Tracey looked surprised by this news, but she shrugged a moment later.
"Well, even if it is, it's not very Dark," she pointed out. "It's nowhere near the Unforgivables or really Dark curses, is it?"
"I don't want to cast any Dark magic," Hermione complained. "That seems like a slippery slope to get started on."
Tracey rolled her eyes.
"You want to frame someone for being the Heir of Slytherin, but you don't want to cast minor Dark magic?" she asked. "Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?"
"Look, I'm just not comfortable with it," Hermione protested. "I'll find another way around it."
"There isn't," Tracey insisted. "Unless we change her memory, they'll be able to know she's been framed."
"It's not like she'd ever give me consent to—"
"Oh, stop your fussing," Tracey said, scoffing. She nudged Hermione with her elbow. "I'll cast the charm for you."
Hermione's head whipped around to look at Tracey, who was shrugging. Hermione stared at her.
"…you would do that?" she said. "Even knowing it's Dark magic?"
"Sure," Tracey said easily. "It's not very Dark, is it? And it's worth it – we all promised we'd help you get revenge, after all."
She gave Hermione a devious, smirking grin, one Hermione found herself slowly returning after a moment.
Hermione wasn't sure how she felt about a friend casting Dark magic for her to help advance her cause, but she knew Tracey well enough to know she wouldn't let it go. If Tracey had decided this was how she was going to help out, Hermione would have more luck in wringing water from a stone than changing Tracey's mind.
"You did," Hermione admitted. "That you did."
"I'll practice with Millie to make sure I get it right," Tracey told her. "How long do I have?"
Hermione gnawed at her lip.
"Do you think you can learn it in two days?" she ventured, and Tracey's eyes went big.
"You're doing it this week?" she demanded.
"I want this resolved as soon as possible!" Hermione protested. "Everyone's in danger until everything's handled! You, Blaise, Millie… we need it handled as soon as we can."
Tracey winced.
"I'll try," she said, unsure. "No promises. But I'll let you know how it goes."