Chapter 32

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Draco stood inside the abandoned classroom they had been using for their meetings.

"Are Fred and George coming?" Harry asked.

"No," Ron shook his head. "I didn't tell them."

"Why not?" Hermione asked. They could use all the help they could get if they were going to pull this off.

"I told them what happened in the forest, and what we're planning to do," Ron explained, "and they tried to talk me out of it. They think we should stop before they find out it's us."

Harry nodded. He could understand where the twins were coming from. The study group was dangerous, and involving Fred and George could just draw more attention to them.

"I think they'll change their mind after we find out what they're planning," Ron added, hopefully.

Harry pulled out the vials of polyjuice potions and laid them on the table. "Egwu, Winger, and Murk have been in the study group the longest. They'll know the most about what's going on, but they're also the riskiest to go after."

"Boyle, Haywood, and MacGillony are third years, so their rooms probably won't be as well guarded, but they may not have anything useful."

"If we get caught, and aren't able to find any proof of what they're doing, we could end up expelled, or worse," Harry explained their situation. "So if anyone wants to back out, now is the time."

Hermione looked at the boys as she thought about her options, or lack there off. Withdrawing from Hogwarts wasn't an option. Despite everything that happened, she couldn't just give up on magic, because that is what it would take to get away from the study group.

"I can talk to my father," Draco suggested. "He'll know what to do."

"What's your father going to think about you working with a bunch of Gryffindors?" Ron asked skeptically. "And that's if he even believes you in the first place."

"My father will listen," Draco insisted.

"Let's say he does believe you, Draco," Harry said. "What then? We don't have any proof of what they've done, what they're planning, or who they're working with outside of Hogwarts. If your father tells the wrong person, they'll find out about us."

Draco sighed. He hadn't considered that. The study group may even think he was the one they chased through the forest. "…Fine, we'll keep it amongst ourselves until we find out more."

"Alright," Harry said. "The best time to search their rooms is when the study group is in class, or during one of their meetings."

"We should start with the third years," Ron suggested.

"Hermione and I can search Elspeth's room during History of Magic," Draco suggested. "Everyone either sneaks out or falls asleep during his class anyway, so we won't be missed."

"Then we'll search Beatrice's room during your meeting tonight," Harry said as he handed a vial of potion to both Hermione and Draco. "You'll need a hair from a Ravenclaw student to complete the potion."

"I think I have an idea for that," Hermione offered. "It's a fifth year spell called the disillusionment charm," she said, demonstrating the wand movement. "It lets us blend into the background. If we don't move too much, they won't notice us."

Harry nodded along, thinking about the spell Merlin and Morgan used to escape the castle. 'The spell has a similar end result, but far less powerful.'

"Yes, but also far less taxing magically," Merlin pointed out. "None of them have the magical power to maintain the spell for more than a few minutes at a time."

"That could work," Draco agreed. "One of us could get the hair while the other distracts them."

"Good luck," Harry said. "And be careful. If it doesn't feel right walk away."

Hermione and Draco left first, making their way to the great hall, hoping to find some Ravenclaws along the way.

"Over there," Draco said. "I think I recognize him, Davies. He's on the quidditch team."

Hermione looked down the hallway. Davies was walking by himself. It was perfect.

"Alright, cast the charm on me, and I'll run over and get it," Draco said.

Hermione nodded, pulling out her wand, and cast the spell, or at least tried to.

"Did it work?" Draco asked, looking himself up and down. "I don't feel anything."

Hermione shook her head, trying the spell again, but nothing happened. "I don't understand. It worked when I tried it a couple of weeks ago," she said, looking at her wand in a mixture of confusion and embarrassment.

Draco glanced down the hallway. They couldn't lose this opportunity. He pulled out his wand and tried the spell. It took a couple of attempts, but then he felt it. It was like someone cracked an egg over his head.

"Did it work?" Draco asked, looking at Hermione for confirmation.

Hermione nodded. "When you get a hair, move to the side before he turns around, then don't move."

"Ok," Draco said as he crept after Davies, trying not to make a sound.

Hermione watched him go, noticing the shimmer around him as he moved. She sat down on a bench and pulled out a textbook, pretending to read it as she watched Draco sneak up on Davies. She couldn't understand where she had gone wrong. The spell had been difficult, but she had managed it before.

Harry's words echoed in her mind as she thought about her recent spell work. She wasn't earning as many points as she used to for her practical work. Even simple spells required more effort than they did before.

She worried Harry might be right, and there was something wrong with her magic.

Draco moved in, just behind Davies, and carefully reached out, pinching one of Davies's hairs between his fingers, then pulled sharply and stepped to the side.

Davies whirled around with a yelp as he rubbed the back of his head. It felt like someone hit the back of his head. 'That's strange,' he thought. There was just a first year, reading a book, but she was too far away to have done anything.

He shrugged and turned around, making his way to the library to return his book.

Draco stood there waiting for Davies to turn the corner before he canceled the disillusionment charm.

"What happened Hermione? I thought you knew how to cast that spell," Draco demanded.

Hermione's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I'm not sure. It worked when I tried it in my dorm room a few weeks ago."

"Alright, whatever," Draco dismissed, shaking his head. "We still need one more hair," he said, putting the hair he acquired in his pocket.

Hermione and Draco walked down the hallway in the same direction as Davies, hoping to run into another Ravenclaw.

"The library, of course," Hermione said as they turned the corner. "There should be at least a couple of Ravenclaws there."

They walked into the library, going through the rows, when Hermione spotted someone she recognized. She was sitting at a table by herself, studying. "That's Patricia Stimpson. I see her in the library all the time," she whispered.

"Ok," Draco said, looking around to make sure no one was looking their way. "Go ask her something. I'll grab a hair while she's distracted."

Hermione nodded. She went to a bookshelf and pulled out a transfiguration book and walked up to Stimpson.

"Excuse me," Hermione said, getting the older student's attention. "I'm Hermione Granger."

Patricia looked up from her book to find a first year standing over her. "Hello," she replied, wondering why this girl was bothering her.

"I was wondering if you could help me?" Hermione asked. "I have a transfiguration essay due in a couple of days about-"

"Look… Granger," Patricia interrupted. "I don't really have time for this. I have a test to study for after lunch," she said, shooing the annoying first year away, but when she returned to her book, she felt a pinch on the back of her head.

"It will only take a second… please," Hermione said. "The essay is about the dangers of human to transfiguration."

Patrica sighed in annoyance, rubbing the back of her head. She wasn't a prefect. Why was this girl bothering her with this stuff?

"Ask one of your prefects, that's what they're there for," Patricia said impatiently.

"…Sorry to bother you," Hermione said, trying to her best to look crestfallen as she walked away.

Patrica watched the first year walk off. 'Great, now I fee bad,' she thought. "Wait… Granger."

Hermione turned around, not expecting anything else from Stimpson.

"You're a first year, right?" Patricia asked.

Hermione nodded.

"Then you just need your transfiguration textbook. There's an entire section in there about what can go wrong, more than enough for you to write your essay with."

"Thank you," Hermione said, genuinely surprised Stimpson was willing to help her. "I'll do that." She had seen her in the library before, and she was short with everyone that disturbed her.

Hermione returned the book to its shelf and went to meet Draco outside the library.

"Let's go," Draco said, holding up the hair. "We can make an appearance in History of Magic, then sneak out."

 ***

Hermione and Draco stood outside the Ravenclaw common room after taking the polyjuice potions, now disguised as Patricia Stimpson, and Roger Davies.

They prepared themselves mentally for what they were about to do. No one had ever broken in to the common room of a rival house to their knowledge. When they stepped inside, there would break one of Hogwarts most important rules.

Hermione and Draco looked at each other and nodded. They took a step forward and waited for the eagle knocker to ask its riddle. This was the part they couldn't prepared for, and where the entire plan could fall apart.

"Which came first? The phoenix or the flame?" The eagle head knocker asked.

Draco stared at the knocker in confusion, having no idea what it was talking about.

Hermione furrowed her brow, thinking through the riddle. She knew there had to be a trick to it. The obvious answer was the flame. It had to have come first, right? But no one knew how long phoenix's had been around either.

A phoenix was born in fire, and when it died, it was consumed by it, only to be reborn again in an endless cycle.

"That's it!" Hermione said, her eyes lighting up as she solved it. "It a cycle, there is no beginning!" A moment later, there was a soft click, and the door swung open.

Hermione and Draco quickly made their way inside, relieved to find the common room empty, making it much easier for them to avoid detection.

"That must be where the dorm rooms are," Draco said, pointing to a set of stairs.

Hermione and Draco made their way up the stairs, entering the third year girl's dormitory. There were three four-poster beds and a trunk at the foot of each bed.

"Which trunk is Elspeth's?" Hermione thought as she looked around.

Draco went to each nightstand, looking for something of Elspeth's. "This one," he said, picking up a test left out on her nightstand. "I'll check the dresser. You try her trunk."

"Right," Hermione nodded, as she went to the trunk, hoping her spell would work, "Alohomora." She could feel the pull on her magic, and with a soft click, the trunk opened.

She rummaged through the trunk, looking for anything useful. There were a few books, some school supplies, but nothing out of the ordinary. "There's nothing here, any luck over there."

"No," Draco shook his head. "There's nothing here either."

"There has to be something," Hermione insisted, refusing to believe they did this all for nothing.

"Not over here there's not," Draco replied.

Hermione looked around the dorm room, trying to think where Elspeth would hide something, her eyes finally settling on the bed itself. Following a hunch, she lifted up the mattress. "I've got something," she said, pulling out a leather pouch.

"Great," Draco said as they opened it, and looking inside, but couldn't hide his disappointment at what they found. "All this effort, just to find Elspeth's pocket money?"

Hermione felt just as disappointed. It looked to be little more than twenty galleons. "Should we try Talbott's dorm? Maybe there's something there?"

"This whole thing was a waste of-" Draco started to say, before both he and Hermione froze. They heard voices coming from the common room and recognized one of them immediately. Elspeth.

'She's not supposed to be here,' Hermione thought frantically. 'She was supposed to be in class.' "We have to go," she whispered, putting the pouch back under the bed.

Draco nodded in agreement. Hermione was disguised as Stimpson, who at least had a reason to be here, but not him. Davies was a fourth year, and also a boy.

They quickly made their way to the stairs, hoping to leave before Elspeth found them, but it was too late. They could already hear her coming up the stairs.

"Split up," Draco whispered as he went up the stairs, going into the fourth year boy's dorm while Hermione went back into the third year girl's dorm. She looked around frantically, trying to find a place to hide, but couldn't find one. With no other options left, she went to Patrica's bed and lay down.

A moment later, the door opened and Elspeth walked in. "Oh, Patricia, I didn't expect to see you here. Don't you have a class now?"

Hermione looked up from the bed, doing her best to sound sick. "I came to lie down. I'm just not feeling well."

"Maybe you should visit Madam Pomfrey," Elspeth suggested. "I can go with you if you like."

"No!" Hermione said abruptly. "I… I think I just stayed up too late studying last night. I should be fine."

"Oh, ok. I hope you feel better," Elspeth said, going to her dresser, and digging around. "Can you believe it? I broke my last quill, and no one had a spare they could lend me."

"…Yes, that's annoying," Hermione replied.

"Ok, see you later, Patrica," Elspeth waved as she went back downstairs.

Draco cracked the door open as he watched Elspeth leave, breathing a sigh of relief.

He could hear Elspeth talking to someone, but couldn't tell who it was. He carefully walked down the stairs, peeking out from behind the door.

Thankfully, it wasn't Talbott, just a fifth year Ravenclaw reading a book. 'Probably has a free period,' Draco thought.

"See you later, Penelope," Elspeth waved as she returned to her class.

That's when Draco realized they had another problem. There was no way to leave without Penelope seeing them, and the longer they stayed, the more likely they were to run into the real Stimpson and Davies, or for the polyjuice potion to run out.

He was so lost in thought that he nearly jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned quickly to find Hermione standing behind him.

"Sorry," Hermione whispered as she stared over his shoulder at Penelope.

"It doesn't look like she's going to leave anytime soon," Draco whispered.

"Can you cast the disillusionment charm on both of us?" Hermione asked. "If we go slowly, she might not notice us."

Draco nodded, muttering the spell for both of them before they crept towards the door to the common room.

They only made it halfway before the common room door opened again and Elspeth appeared. They froze like a pair of deer in the headlights as they watched Elspeth getting closer and closer.

Elspeth walked past, only missing Draco's shoulder by a couple of inches as she went back up the stairs.

Hermione and Draco were out of time and they both knew it. Throwing caution to the wind, they made a beeline to the common room door, slipping out before the door closed.

Draco looked around before canceling the charm and breathing a sigh if relief. "That was way too close."

"She's going to realize something is wrong," Hermione whispered.

"Yeah," Draco nodded in agreement. The mission had been a bust, and even worse, they may have tipped off the study group.

 ***

"So there was nothing there?" Harry asked.

"No," Hermione shook her head sadly.

"We might still get lucky," Ron said hopefully. "Elspeth will think its strange Patricia wasn't there, but she may not connect it back to us."

"Not likely," Draco said, shaking his head. "She came back less than five minutes later. She would have noticed, and it's only a matter of time before she talks to Stimpson about it."

Hermione could feel Harry's eyes on her. She knew what he was thinking. She couldn't do the charm, and it was getting harder and harder for her to deny the truth. Something was wrong, and she needed to get it checked out before it got worse.

"Do we stop here? Or do we go ahead with searching Beatrice's dorm?" Ron asked.

"We need to go ahead with it," Harry said. "After tonight, they'll know something is wrong. We have to search her room before they add any more protections."

"Let's go," Draco said to Hermione. "The meeting will start soon." Hermione nodded, walking out with Draco.

"I was able to get us a couple of hairs," Harry said, handing a vial to Ron. "Yours is Jake Flinton, and mine is David Boorman."

"Classes are over for the day. What if they're already in the common room?" Ron asked.

"We got lucky there," Harry replied. "They're both studying for a test in the library. They won't be back until just before curfew."

"Ok, let's go," Ron said, taking the vial. They had a little over an hour before curfew.

They quickly made their way towards the Hogwarts kitchens, and the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room.

Just as they passed the entrance to the great hall, a voice stopped them dead in their tracks. "Mr. Potter, I was hoping to run into you," Albus said as he appeared from down the corridor. "Can you spare me a few minutes?"

Harry turned to face the headmaster. They were running out of time before the study group finished their meeting, and Jame and David returned from the library, but he couldn't exactly say no to the Headmaster either.

"I'll talk to you later, Ron," Harry said, giving his friend a reason to leave. "What is it, sir?" he asked.

"I just wanted to see if your barrister was able to resolve Tom's rent problem," Albus asked.

"No yet," Harry replied, wondering what the Headmaster's angle was. "He said it's taking longer that expected, but he should have it resolved soon."

"…I see," Albus replied. He had waited long enough for Tonks to spin his wheels. It was time to go in for the kill. "As I remember, you brought this to his attention weeks ago. Did he tell you why it was taking so long to resolve?"

"He's just putting together an offer now," Harry replied, hoping to end this conversation quickly.

Albus sighed, making a show of looking worried. "I spoke to Tom recently. He's gone through most of his savings to make the higher rent payments. I don't think there's much time left before he run's out of galleons."

"I've taken over the rent payments for Tom until we get this resolved," Harry replied, keeping his tone even. "So there's no reason to worry."

"Even so, this has taken far longer than it should to clear up. I'll reach out to my contacts as well, and see if I can get this cleared up a little quicker," Albus replied.

Harry was immediately suspicious, wondering what Dumbledore was up to. "And what would you get out of helping Tom?"

"Tom has been a good friend to me for many, many years," Albus replied, feigning disappointment. "That's the only reason."

Harry wasn't sure what to do. He didn't really have a way to stop the headmaster, and Ted wasn't having much luck tracking down the owner on his own. Maybe on this one occasion, their interests really were aligned.

"I know what you must think of me, Mr. Potter. I certainly haven't done anything to earn your trust, but I'm not the monster you think I am," Albus said as he turned and left.

He smiled internally. He saw it in Harry's eyes. His resolve weakened just a little bit. After he 'resolved' the issue for Tom, he would have the foothold he needed to repair his relationship with the boy.

Harry watched him leave, making sure he was gone, before he turned on his heel and made a beeline for the stairs leading to the cellar.

"What took so long?" Ron asked as he stepped out from behind a stack of barrels.

"The headmaster was asking me about something my barrister is working on," Harry replied, wanting to keep Ron from getting dragged into his issues with the Headmaster as well. "Are you ready?"

Ron nodded, pulling out his vial. They both pulled the corks and drank their potions.

 ***

Hermione and Draco sat amongst the study group. Normally they studied together, since they were in the same year, but this time it was different. When they arrived, Andre asked Hermione to work with Beatrice, while Draco worked with Bole.

"How are you doing, Hermione?" Beatrice asked.

"Fine," Hermione replied, trying not to let her nervousness show. "Why?"

"Well, I just wanted to talk to you about your ranking. I noticed you were falling a little behind," she said, referring to the recent drop in the number of points she was earning. "I just wanted to make sure everything was ok."

Hermione looked at Beatrice for a second, seeing for the first time how easily the other girl have manipulated her. She seemed so genuine, it was sometimes hard to believe this was the same girl that killed the Acromantula in the astronomy tower, and hunted her through the forbidden forest.

"…I'm fine. I've just been doing morning exercises with Harry for the last few days, and feeling a little tired. I just need to get used to it," Hermione replied.

"Right, Elspeth mention that," Beatrice said. "How has that been going? Are you noticing any differences in your spell casting?"

"No, nothing yet," Hermione replied. "But it's only been a few days."

"It's an interesting theory," Elspeth offered, looking up from her book.

"You know, Hermione, there are ways to improve a little quicker," Andre offered. "You might also benefit from this Draco. How much do either of you know about rituals?"

"…Not much," Hermione replied, immediately realizing what Andre was going to ask them.

"Me either," Draco replied, not liking where this was going either.

"I'm not surprised," Andre said. "Most of us learn about them after Hogwarts. The animagus transformations, or the inheritance ritual for example, are common ones, but there are also rituals to increase magical power."

"It could be exactly what you need to take the top spot in the ranking," Beatrice added, enticingly.

Hermione stared down at her book, to get her emotions under control. They wanted her to do the same ritual they did. She tried to think of a way to put them off. "…That wouldn't really be fair to the other students."

"I wouldn't say that," Lucian said. "Most everyone at Hogwarts has one advantage or another. Tutors, the right family connections, older siblings providing old tests. Is it really wrong to take an opportunity when it presents itself?"

"Is it dangerous?" Draco jumped in before Hermione's nervousness gave them away.

"Not at all," Andre replied. "We've all performed the ritual, with only a few minor side effects. A few of us were a little tired for a couple of days afterward, and had some headaches, but they cleared up in less than a week."

"I'll think about it," Draco said, pretending to consider it. "I want to see how far I can get on my own first though."

"Me too," Hermione quickly added.

"Of course," Andre replied. "Take all the time you need," he said, happy to have planted the seed. As Harry pushed further ahead he was sure they would reconsider.

 ***

Harry and Ron stood inside the Hufflepuff common room, trying to look inconspicuous as they moved past the other students.

They made their way to the dorm rooms. Unlike the other houses, each Hufflepuff's had their own bedroom.

They walked through the hallway, stopping at Beatrice's door.

"It's locked," Ron said, trying the handle.

"Keep a lookout," Harry said as he pulled out his wand. "Alohomora." The door opened with a soft click and they stepped inside, quickly shutting it behind them.

The room wasn't large, just enough space for a bed, a dresser, and a trunk.

Harry went to the trunk first. He pulled out his wand ready to use the unlocking charm.

"That isn't going to work," Merlin interrupted. "The trunk is warded."

'There must be a way to get in,' Harry thought.

"Let me check," Merlin said. "Keep your wand pointed at the trunk."

Harry felt a draw on his magic as a white light lit up the tip of his wand, stretching to the lock on the trunk.

"It's clever," Merlin admitted. "Easy enough to disable, but it will alert the owner of the trunk."

"Ron, we're not going to have much time," Harry said. "The trunk is warded. When I open it, they're going to come running."

"We'll have maybe ten minutes before they get here," Ron pointed out. "Is that going to be enough time?"

"It's going to have to be," Harry decided. 'Merlin, open it,' he thought.

The light from Harry's wand pulsed for a few seconds, then they heard a click as the trunk popped opened.

Harry and Ron dug through the trunk, throwing caution to the wind as they searched through it. Getting away without the study group was noticing was no longer possible, and they couldn't leave empty-handed.

"I think I got something," Harry said as he pulled out a leather-bound journal and flipped it open. There was no mistaking it. It was the ritual they used in the astronomy tower.

"Let's go," Ron said as he peaked his head out the door to make sure no one was watching.

 ***

Elspeth sat up with a start, followed quickly by the rest of the study group.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, noticing the alarmed looks on their faces.

Andre was the first to recover. "It's nothing," he said, quickly. "…Let's finish early tonight. I'm feeling a little tired."

The rest of the study group followed Andre's lead, making excuses as they quickly packed up their belongings, leaving Draco and Hermione behind.

Hermione and Draco looked at each other in alarm. There was only one reason they could think of for the study group to leave so suddenly.

"Do you think they're going to be ok?" Hermione asked, when she was sure they were alone.

"I don't know," Draco said, shaking his head. "Let's go. We can wait for them in the meeting spot."

Hermione nodded, following him out, and keeping an eye out to make sure they weren't being followed.

When they arrived at the classroom, it was a tense few minutes as they waited for Ron and Harry to return.

"What happened?" Hermione asked as soon as Ron and Harry popped their heads through the door. "The study group suddenly got up and practically ran out of the library."

"We found something," Harry said as he placed the notebook on the desk. "It's the ritual they did on Halloween. Beatrice's trunk was warded. When we broke through, it alerted them."

"Did they see you?" Draco asked.

"No," Ron shook his head. "We got out of the common room just in time."

Hermione sighed in relief. She didn't want to think about what would happen if the study group caught them.

"They know we survived the forbidden forest now," Harry added.

"It's not all bad," Ron pointed out. "Hermione and Draco were with them when we broke in, so they won't suspect them."

Hermione took little comfort in that fact, especially after they tried to convince her and Draco to do the ritual.

"It's almost curfew," Harry said. "Let's all get back to our common rooms before Filch catches us."

"…Harry, can I talk to you for a minute first?" Hermione asked. "in Private?"

"Sure," Harry replied. "You two go ahead," Harry said to Ron and Draco.

"What is it, Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Do you remember when we talking after the forbidden forest?" Hermione asked.

Harry nodded, knowing what Hermione wanted to talk about.

"You asked me if I was using advanced spells," Hermione said. "What were you going to tell me?"

"Using advanced spells as first years isn't usually a good idea," Harry explained. "Both our magic and our magical pathways are still growing. When we use advanced spells, we draw on more magic than we're ready for. Prolonged use damages the magical pathways, making it harder to draw upon your magic."

"That's what happened to you in the forbidden forest," Hermione realized. "When you killed the Acromantula."

"Yes," Harry replied.

"You were right," Hermione admitted. "I was practicing advanced spells to get a head in the student rankings. I couldn't even do the disillusionment charm today."

"It'll be ok," Harry replied. "There's some potions Madam Pomfrey can give you to speed up your recovery, and if you go easy on your spell casting for the next few days, you'll be back to normal."

Hermione looked at Harry and felt ashamed of herself. Harry had been nothing but kind to her since she met him, even now going out of his way to help her when he didn't have to.

She had let her competitiveness get the better of her, and it had cost her dearly. She should have left the study group with Ron and Harry, instead she turned a blind eye to their manipulations, and was paying for it now.

Hermione crossed the distance between them, wrapping her arms tightly around Harry. "I'm sorry, Harry, for everything."

Harry was unprepared for the hug and could only pat Hermione's back awkwardly. "I promise Hermione we'll find a way out of this for you."