Chapter 42: Up to No Good

At Hogwarts, the anticipation was beyond palpable as students eagerly awaited the Christmas break - the pivotal point of every academic year, splitting it elegantly into two semesters. Naturally, the prelude to such a joyous hiatus in school life was not complete without the first annual, infamous Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match.

Four months of enduring non-stop rain turned every training session into a battleground, with the Gryffindor team consistently braving the elements. Their robes were rarely dry, their spirits, however, were never dampened. Fueled by the persuasive and deeply motivated team captain, Wood, every single player was driven to secure the Quidditch cup victory before Wood's graduation in two years.

"We need to give Slytherin reason to rue the day they allowed Malfoy to bribe his way into their team," Wood fervently reminded the team before thematch, sparking a fire of determination in Harry.

Malfoy, either fearlessly provoking Harry or perhaps brazenly ignorant of the potential consequences, repeated his perfectly crafted insult, "Scar Face," at every given opportunity during the match. The situation worsened to such a point that even when the Gryffindor team uncovered the foul play - a tampered bludger targeting Harry - they refused to involve the match referee, Madame Hooch.

Instead, they hardened their resolve, determined to fight back and emerge victorious while also dealing a massive blow to Malfoy's pride. In an admirable display of courage and skill, Harry successfully clinched victory, snatching the golden snitch right above Malfoy's head, despite the risks of being whacked off his broom by the bludger.

Although the match ended in exhilaration with the defeat of Malfoy, it did leave Harry with a broken arm that necessitated immediate attention. Madam Pomfrey was on standby in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing. A broken bone was nothing intimidating for her, a simple spell was all she needed to have it mended, returning Harry to his celebratory mates post-victory.

That very evening, Dobby, the house-elf, confessed his involvement in both the incident at Platform 9¾ and the tampering with the bludger. His ultimate aim was to protect Harry from unidentified dangers lurking within Hogwarts by pushing him away from the school. Furious and helpless, Harry relayed Dobby's confession to Hermione and Ron the very next day.

"This suggests something rather interesting," Hermione analyzed with a serious expression. "Dobby is frantically trying to prevent Harry from getting hurt by the monster hiding within the Chamber of Secrets. However, Harry being a half-blood, isn't a likely target for said monster. So, what drives Dobby's concerns?"

Both Harry and Ron shared a look, then simultaneously shook their heads. "We haven't the faintest idea," replied Harry. Undeterred by their ignorance, Hermione continued, "It appears that Dobby is privy to information we lack. It's possible he believes that the Heir of Slytherin will command the monster to attack Harry. Now let's think - who within Hogwarts has a deep-seated grudge against Harry?"

This time, the immediate conclusion drawn by Harry and Ron was almost in unison, "Draco Malfoy!" Hermione nodded, "It seems he fits the bill perfectly. We really need to delve deeper and prove to the professors that he is guilty."

However, Harry, less optimistic than Hermione, disagreed. "I find it hard to believe our earlier plan has any chance of success. We can't assume the professors will grant us permission without a valid reason, especially for banned potion books. It's even more unlikely that Snape will lend us a hand. Even if other professors were willing to help, we wouldn't have a valid excuse." Ron chimed in next, "Not to mention, a single permit allows for one book only. We can't effectively exploit this."

Hermione appeared deep in thought, "Well I do have one idea we could try, it's risky though."

Just as Harry and Ron looked towards Hermione, their expressions mirroring eager anticipation and hope, her brilliant idea unfolded. "Perhaps we could seek help from Professor Forester."

Harry voiced his concern, "If we ask Professor Forester for a permit, he's bound to probe why we need it."

Hermione sighed, and after a considerable pause, she highlighted the radical bit of her scheme, "I'm suggesting using a less traditional method."

Lowering her voice and looking around cautiously, she explained, "Recently, Professor Forester has been conducting some magical research and has been requesting students to borrow books from the library for him, several of which are from the restricted sections. Perhaps we should start there…"

When Hermione had finished outlining her daring plan, Harry and Ron burst into exuberant praises. "That's brilliant," exclaimed Harry.

"There's risk, sure, but a simple denial of our actions will keep us safe," added Ron. Hermione, however, exhibited signs of uncertainty. "On the other hand, we are deceiving Professor Forester," she mused.

Ron attempted to sway Hermione, "Remember why we're doing this Hermione, it's for the safety of the entire school after all."

Harry nodded alongside Ron and added, "Professor Forester, once aware of the truth, won't hold any grudges against us, he would understand our circumstance." After careful consideration of all arguments, Harry and Ron finally convinced Hermione of the drastic course of action. For the following few days, they inconspicuously loitered outside of Sherlock's office waiting for the opportune moment.

Eventually, the desired moment arrived when one afternoon, Sherlock asked Hermione to step inside his office. While he was engrossed grading papers, she silently slipped into his office.

"Do you happen to have sometime to spare, Miss Granger?" Sherlock inquired from behind layers of parchment.

Hermione swallowed nervously before replying, "I only had one class of History of Magic this afternoon, Professor. I'm done for the day."

"Then I have a favor to ask of you, Miss Granger. Could you quickly fetch a book from the library for me?" Without hesitation, she responded, "Of course, Professor."

Sherlock continued, "The book is from the restricted section, I'll write you a permit. You just need to hand it over to Madam Pince." Quickly fetching a quill and parchment, Sherlock jotted down the book's title followed by his signature, which he handed over to Hermione, who then left his office.

Outside, Harry and Ron were waiting expectantly and soon after Hermione came out, huddled together in a vacant classroom. As Hermione displayed the permit, their eyes widened in nervous anticipation.

After a brief moment of debate about how to handle the permit, Hermione swiped her hand to dissuade Harry from reaching for it, and placed it carefully on the table.

"Just let me do it," she said.

Pointing her wand to the section of parchment with the title of the book, she chanted, "Scourgify." Spots of ink vanished, leaving only Sherlock's signature on the parchment. The sight was enough to make Harry and Ron cheer in triumph, "There's no protective spell on the ink!"

"Now we just need to write 'Moste Potente Potions' where the book title once was. Let's delay the borrowing of the book until I've briefed Professor Forester. We'll proceed further afterwards." After a short while, Hermione, accompanied by well wishes from Harry and Ron, exited the room to head back to Sherlock's office.