Heirs of Middle Earth

Chapter 5

Sneaksy Little Gryffindorses...

Harry and Ron had been unable to sleep. After at least seven chocolate frogs apiece, they were on a raging sugar buzz. Dean, Seamus and Neville, however, were tired and did not care to put up with the noise their roommates created, so the pair had retreated to the common room. They played chess for a while, and practiced a few spells for Charms class while trying not to wake up all the Gryffindors. As they began gradually coming off their sugar high, they decided to rest by the fire. The ensuing depression made them too exhausted to retreat to their room. They sank into armchairs and rambled to each other about nonsense until they began to fall asleep.

In their sinking consciousness, they thought they heard a door closing behind them and they became silent in anticipation, hoping it wouldn't be a prefect. No one appeared but a few minutes later, they thought they heard the sound of the portrait door being closed.

~*~

"I know I am not on time, but you didn't have to startle me like that," she said, gathering herself after her fright. She had screeched when she heard his voice. Turning around, she saw Draco Malfoy leaning against a table where he stood seemingly scrutinizing her awkward entrance into the room. He stared as though transfixed by her while she took off the cloak. His eyes were cold, but instead of arousing fear, they entranced her. She surveyed the rest of him and decided that he must know exactly how to make any girl melt over him. Since when did I think Draco was hot? she asked herself, wishing she could continue staring at him for a while. She approached the table and laid the cloak next to him.

"This is quite a find for a muggle born such as yourself, Granger. Care to tell me where you found this invisibility cloak," he asked, picking it up and glancing over it.

"It's not mine. I borrowed it," she informed him, taking it from his hands. He looked at her darkly when she made the remark.

"Did you tell someone about this?" he growled. She shuddered as he hovered over her.

"No. Perhaps I should have said I borrowed it from his trunk." Draco almost immediately chuckled, if Malfoys chuckle. He raised his eyebrow as he asked her if she had stolen it. "Of course I didn't steal it. I fully intend to return it."

"When you don't have permission to take something, it's called stealing, Granger. Someone with your intellect ought to know that."

"Forget the bloody cloak. Let's get on to what we came here to discuss."

"Fine. You wanted this discussion, so you start."

"Alright. Firstly, what has been going on with you? You seem to have disintegrated lately and even though I don't particularly like you, I'm worried."

"Well, you are the first to display any such affection. I have decided that my constant attentions to myself are excessive and impractical. There are many things that I could be doing with my time that are far better. I know you understand that feeling, Hermione. You really ought to do something with that hair sometime, but I suppose you have better things to do than to spend hours on it every day," he said, twirling a piece of her hair as he did so. She gasped as he spoke about her and felt the urge to slap him.

"How infuriating! I ask about your problems and you criticize my hair," she hissed.

"Don't make such a fuss about it. Get on with your next question. I don't fancy being here all night. You might just be in need of some beauty sleep yourself," he said, skillfully reining her in. Something about the velvet sound of his voice soothed her subconsciously and reconciled her sharp tongue.

"Well, you explained to me your changes in dress and appearance, but what about your attitude and personality? You have been separating yourself from the rest of your house."

"I have changed, like I said previously. It would be hypocritical for me to change my habits and not to change my lifestyle as well. My former friends are part of my former lifestyle," he drawled in his Malfoy, matter-of-fact sort of way. "I have a question for you, too. When did you get so short?"

"I'm trying to figure out that one too. It just started a little while ago. I actually shrunk. You're taller and you have pointy ears. When did that happen?" she asked as she brushed his hair out of the way so she could look closer.

"First week of school. My hair has grown much faster than controllable lately, also. I agreed to this meeting because I think you might be able to figure it out what's happening to me and what I can do to fix it."

"I hope I can help you. I have some problems of my own that are quite similar," she said, her voice wearisome as he interrupted her.

"I know. Don't think I can't sense a screening charm when I'm near one. You've had one on your face for the past few days. I already know what's behind that little charm of yours, so there's no point in fretting over it, Hermione." She gaped in astonishment, staring at him bewilderedly.

"What do you... How did you... Wow," she stumbled. He looked somewhat pleased by her bemused look.

"I have spent many long hours honing my magical senses since I was small but recently my eyes have been keener than ever before, a change that I have been glad to accept. And don't worry, your facial hair doesn't bother me."

"How long have you known?" Hermione asked, even more nonplussed, if possible.

"I saw the traces of the charm on you the night before you sent me the little note. I suppose that was last week."

"Did you happen to go into the library that night?"

"I don't recall," he said elusively. "And I don't think I will unless I find the right inspiration."

"What do you mean by that," she gasped, appalled by his statement.

"How important is it for you to know whether or not I was there that night? It seems like a simple enough question."

"It hardly seems like the same question. The first one sounded like you were insinuating something vulgar."

"Would you really be offended if I had?"

"Of course I would be... er... am offended! You shouldn't say those things."

"I'm sure you will get used to it in time. You hang around with two boys. I'll bet they are hardly less offensive. Unless, that is, you say 'offended' and mean 'aroused.' I'm sure it is hard to tell the difference between the two."

"I am certainly not aroused. Returning to the issue at hand, however," she changed the subject quickly. He consented to the change as she continued, "if there's anything you can tell me that might help, please let me know. If you know any details about something that happened in the news..."

"You want to know if I know anything about that murder," he surmised, continuing when she guiltily nodded her head. "I don't know what happened. I don't know who did it. I have met the victim before, though. I bought something from him for my mother's birthday. The Daily Prophet was correct on most points, but they did make a few mistakes. For one thing, he did deal in some serious dark artifacts, but he usually sold those to other vendors who would offer him a high price, so he just happened not to have anything illegal in his shop. I suppose you would be interested if I were to tell you about the murder that wasn't featured in the Prophet. In the little town below my family's mansion, a few townsfolk were slaughtered as a warning to the little community, as well as to the Ministry. I doubt that the method in which they were murdered would be significant, but there was a message left behind in the blood."

"What did it say?" she gasped.

"The Dark Lord's hour is nigh. He seeks One which causes discord, molding the past out of the present."

"That sounds bizarre. Did you see it for yourself?"

"No. I overheard my father telling one of his associates," Draco said, his gaze somewhat distant as he turned away from her. She studied him knowingly and asked yet one more question.

"You overheard him say something else, didn't you? You know something more, Draco," she suspected. She reached out gently to put her hand on his arm, but he shrugged her away fiercely. After pausing for a moment, he turned back to her with a fire in his beautiful eyes and shoved a chair out of the space between them.

"Go back to your common room. I am finished here," he hissed before storming off violently.

~*~

Ron sat up in bed and stretched as the sun streamed in the windows, casting shadows on the curtains around his bed. He could tell by the brightness of the light that most of his roommates had already risen and pulled back the curtains on their own beds. The weekend had come and he had slept until half past one, a luxury he could not attain anywhere other than Hogwarts. After the strenuous mental exercises they had done last night on their Potions homework, he felt that he deserved the extra rest. A Hogsmeade visit was scheduled for today, which meant that by the end of the day he would have devoured as many sweets as his pocket change would allow. This would be a good day.

He joined everyone else for lunch once he was dressed and the majority of the school meandered down to Hogsmeade in their own time. Ron was pleased that Harry didn't have to sneak down with them this year. It made it so much more enjoyable to be following school rules. They started off their journey by wandering through Zonko's and, after a trip to Honeydukes, they turned to the Three Broomsticks. Hermione, who had been glancing at her digital watch every half minute since they left Hogwarts, rose from the table eagerly and left the two boys to their butterbeers. The boys shrugged bemusedly as she left and Ron, who was no longer fascinated by her "digital" watch, wondered off-handedly if she was going to meet that Oliver kid who was supposed to be at Hogwarts soon.

A little hill just past Hogsmeade was her scheduled meeting place. Sneaking away to it was the hardest part. She tried to look like she was just wandering off, and managed to reach the little hill without appearing too conspicuous. Just as she came to the other side of it, she saw Snuffles, waiting for her. He led her further from Hogsmeade to a little cave where he had set up barriers so that they could talk safely. Once inside, he transfigured back into Sirius.

"Alright, Miss Granger. What news have you got for me?" he asked, lackadaisically leaning against the stone wall.

"I have a question or two for you, actually. Do you know anything about the murder of the man on Knockturn Alley? I have a few suspicions that I would like to clear up."

"Ah. Heard that the article wasn't telling the entire truth, have you? There were some gory details that no child should be subjected to, but I can tell you this much. Someone had left a message in the blood. I was utterly disgusted because of how much of that poor man's blood they had to have drained to be able to paint much of anything. It read Beware, Oh Unfaithful servants. Once the piece of power is attained, The Eye shall once again cast its shadow. None of my team could figure it out. We've been working night and day on this one case. I've never seen anything like it."

"You mean you don't know about the slaughter near Malfoy Manor?" she exclaimed in disbelief. Even if the Daily Prophet didn't report on it, Sirius should at least have caught some wind about it.

"Who told you about that? It is classified information," he said, suddenly becoming alert and worried. "If you could get that piece of information, who else might know?"

"Er... Draco Malfoy told me about it. I spoke with him privately a week or two ago. A few strange things have been happening at school, and considering his connections, it occurred to me that he might know something more than you've told me."

"Ah. The Malfoy kid. What made you think he would help you, though?"

"Some of the strange things have been happening to him. He's changing somehow."

"Okay. Explain in excruciating detail these strange things you keep referring to."

"Draco had some kind of seizure in the carriages before we got to the castle, and he disappeared and reappeared several times during his fits. Since then, his hair has been growing wildly, while his ears have formed a point and he had suddenly decided that fashion doesn't matter. I, myself, have been shrinking. That's actually just about it, though."

Sirius became solemn. He stood and paced around while in thought. Hermione took the opportunity to glance around the cave. It looked cozy and there was a little fire set up. Apparently, he had been staying here for a while, and was not by himself. A pile of twigs and leaves suggested that Buckbeak was staying with him. She glanced back at Sirius who began pacing thoughtfully.

"I don't know what any of this means, but I'm sure it all ties together somehow," he hypothesized. "Well, I'll relay the information to my team and we'll get to work on it right away. As soon as we figure out something, I'll let you know. Until then, I suppose you ought to get to know the Malfoy kid as best as you can. Maybe he can tell you some more that I don't know. Be careful around him though. Malfoys tend to have bad tempers."

"Yes, I've noticed," she said, recalling how he had slung that chair.

"He hasn't touched you, has he? I saw that look in your eye," Sirius said, suddenly becoming protective of her. Shaking her head, she rushed a reply.

"Oh, no. He hasn't hurt me. He simply frightened me the other night when I was talking with him. You see, we were alone and he got a bit wound up and it was not a pleasant experience for the furniture," she explained. He nodded that he understood.

"Just be careful around him. None of us knows where he stands or what he is capable of. For all we know, he might be going off to create his own evil cohort and try to take over the world, one mall at a time."

She giggled and a wary smile spread across his face. He pitied her. It was in his eyes. Hermione didn't know why, but it was there. He walked over to her and hugged her before sending her away.

"I wish you weren't alone in this task. I can tell that you won't be taking anyone else to meet with you and Malfoy. Make Harry and Ron help you out in some way. When you try to get close to a Malfoy, they always drain you of your humanity because they lack any of their own. I know how empty it can make you feel."

He sent her off, and she was almost glad to leave. Hermione didn't comprehend what he had been saying other than that she is now expected to befriend Draco. It didn't seem like too terrible a task, but then, it was impossible to tell what Sirius meant.

~*~

Hermione struggled to find Harry and Ron. She had already searched everywhere she could think of before she sat on a bench, out of ideas for where to look. While she pondered the possibility that they had already returned to Hogwarts, Ron and Harry popped out of a bookshop across the lane and spotted her. Rushing over to the bench she was occupying, they began an onslaught of questions.

"Where did you go?"

"You missed out on so much fun."

"Yeah, you did. Almost as soon as you left..." they rambled like little children. Hermione was not in the mood to listen to them intently. In fact she felt rather dreary while they seemed either excessively ecstatic or on a sugar buzz. If it weren't for the fact that they were in a wizarding world, they would have been put on Ritalin years ago, like the majority of boys under the age of twenty-one. They began their trek back to the castle, while Harry and Ron chatted to one another almost senselessly. Hermione didn't hear them. She was lost in her own thoughts. As they reached the border of Hogsmeade, Harry stopped.

"I forgot! Fred and George asked me to get some stuff they need together for them. I have to run back to Zonko's."

"Why do you have to buy their things for them? Can't they afford it?" Hermione asked, edging out of her trance.

"Actually, they can afford it, because they gave me the money to buy the stuff. I think the reason that they asked me to purchase stuff for them is because if they get in trouble for their prank, there won't be the evidence that a Weasley bought the things used in the prank. I suppose that means that this will be a good prank."

"Well, did anyone consider that we're coming up on Halloween? I doubt that this prank will happen until then," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Hermione, we did think of that, but then, have you completely forgotten that we have a really boring class with-- and this is the best part--" Ron said, beginning to giggle with a little bit of unnatural flair before continuing, "a substitute teacher?"

"Might I ask what items you intend to buy, Harry?" Hermione inquired, rather frightened by Ron's tittering.

"I'm not supposed to tell anyone. Besides, you might tell a teacher, you loony," Harry responded, obviously toying with her. He began walking back to Zonko's, so Ron and Hermione followed him. When they got to the store, Harry asked Hermione to stay outside. Ron stood there with her to keep her company, but then he saw his brothers across the way, so he jogged over to talk to them, leaving Hermione alone once more.

"Well, Minerva, what is your opinion of this new teacher Dumbledore has selected?" Professor Flitwick asked Professor McGonagall as they rounded the corner, pausing to talk. Hermione listened interestedly, but didn't look over at them to give herself away.

"I know you don't approve, and I have my doubts as well. I suppose we just have to trust that Albus has made a good decision. Personally, I dislike the idea of having someone so young teaching such dangerous subject matter. Also, it is highly unlikely that the students will give proper attention during lessons because of the teacher. I'm afraid some of the students will spend too much of their time staring instead of learning."

"There's nothing you can do about teenage hormones, I'll admit. My instincts just tell me that this is a bad idea. I know that this new professor has had a world of experience in the Dark Arts, but experience is not the only factor in teaching qualification," Flitwick continued as they began walking back down the path.

"We'll see soon. The new teacher will be here next week. Tuesday, I believe," McGonagall said as they got out of hearing range.

Hermione glanced after them and stored the information in a small crevice of her brain. A new teacher. This professor must be the new DADA teacher, finally replacing the temp who was boring most of the students out of their minds. Those that weren't terribly bored had adjusted themselves to a nap during the middle of the day. Thank goodness.