Hermione Has a Plan

Chapter 5

Hermione was sitting in her favourite nook in the library, a small seat near a low window. It was evening and the light from the window was faint, but she could read quite well by the light from the cold-light candles hovering near the ceiling of the library. Candles of fire, whether ordinary or magical, were not allowed in the library. The ancient manuscripts could go up in fire, despite the anti-fire charms all around.

Suddenly the light was blocked out. She looked up to see Draco Malfoy looking down at her thoughtfully.

He drew up a chair and sat down. "Thanks, Granger. The pest has finally stopped harassing me or writing to my mother."

"Does Pansy know? About you and your father?"

A cold look crossed his eyes and Malfoy said bitterly, "I suppose not. My father wants to keep it quiet. He's told everyone my mother's staying at Hogsmeade to help me study for my OWLs. He is even sending us an allowance so that no one suspects I'm not rich any more."

Hermione lifted her wrist to show him the bracelet, "And is this from that allowance?"

"No way," said Draco, grinning. "That's my mother's and I'll thank you to return it after the ball is over, Granger. Those weren't really gifts, just smokescreen! You don't believe I'll spend any money on you, do you?"

Hermione laughed, "So you say, Draco, so you say. But you still enjoy my company, don't deny it."

Draco grinned, "Have to admit it's a pleasure crossing wits with you, Granger. But it's infinitely more entertaining getting Potter's goat. So who is it, Granger? Potter or Weasley?"

Hermione looked innocently at him, "Who what?"

"Who do you really want to go to the ball with, Granger?"

Hermione grinned, a devilish grin full of mischief, "Ever thought I might want to go to the ball with you, Malfoy?"

"Oh no, Granger. You aren't going to get a rise out of me that way. I've seen the way you look at him."

"I don't have a crush on Harry," Hermione said.

"Semantics, Granger? Not a crush, but true love?"

Hermione glared, "Is there something you want to talk to me about, Malfoy, or are you just here trying to nose out gossip?"

Malfoy pretended to think. "Yes, hmmm.... Snape wanted us to research anti-snow charms. He said he needed to know whether there was any anecdotal evidence of anti-snow charms causing explosions."

Hermione got up so suddenly she hit her head against the top of the window. Rubbing her head with one hand, she grabbed her books with the other and said, "Come on, we have work to do!"

Soon Malfoy was standing next to a table while Hermione flung books all over it.

Malfoy asked complainingly, "Granger! Mind telling me what this is all about?"

Hermione stopped to look at him witheringly, "Chudley Cannons. Tryouts. Hogsmeade. Tomorrow. Do the math, Malfoy."

Malfoy blinked, "Of course! They are sure to put up an anti-snow charm so that nothing spoils the tryouts! It's been looking like it might start snowing any day now."

Hermione suddenly gave a low yell of triumph and held up a small book, "Wizards in Greenland".

"I knew I'd read it somewhere!" She started riffling through it impatiently till she found what she was looking for and showed the open page to Malfoy.

The book was open on a page that showed a scene of devastation in the snow. Esquimaux wizards and witches walked back and forth, carrying things, some of them weeping. The text beside the picture read, "The explosion was set off by a timed anti-snow spell. One of the greatest Inuit shamans of all time, Tulugaq, mixed an anti-snow spell with a timing spell, so that the anti-snow spell would take effect at a particular hour. Unfortunately, the two apparently do not mix, and a devastating explosion occurred in which 22 wizards and witches, including Tulugaq, were killed."

"That's it," said Malfoy, "That's how they've planned it. I bet that's why the tryouts are being held so late in the year. They are normally held in August or September."

"Anti-snow spells don't have a counter spell, but timing spells do. You better take this to Professor Snape. He'd rather see you than me, any day."

"What am I, a messenger boy? Sometimes it seems to me that's all I do all day, take messages and give messages..."

"Honestly," said Hermione, exasperated, "Go on, now. I have work to do."

Malfoy looked a little irritated at this peremptory dismissal, but moved off. He had better things to do than cross swords with Hermione right now, and she was a much better ally than an enemy, anyway. Malfoy wasn't a Slytherin for nothing.

Hermione left the library too, looking for Harry and Ron.

She found them in the Quidditch field, lazily skimming around on their brooms. There wasn't enough light to do anything more.

"Harry!" she called out.

Harry skimmed over to her and hovered near her. She pulled the band out of her pocket and held it out. "Here, I forgot to give you this."

Harry took the slim band and turned it around in his hands. "What is this for? Protection?"

Hermione smiled. Trust Harry to figure it out. She impatiently took it from his hand, and moved closer to tie it on his wrist. Harry was very aware of Hermione standing close to him, and of her touch. He breathed in the fragrance of the slight perfume that came from her, like peach. Without realising it, he moved closer to her.

Hermione finished tying the band, patted his wrist and moved back. Without giving him another look, she yelled, "Ron!" and started walking towards Ron as he swooped down and hovered above her head.

"Come down and put this band on, Ron. It's charmed to protect against broom hexes."

Ron floated down gently and got off the broom. "Hey, cool!" he said, as she tied the band on his wrist.

She gave his wrist a pat and stepped back. Ron looked at her mischievously and proceeded to circle her thrice in long lazy swoops.

She laughed and made her way to a high stand. She hated heights, but she climbed the stand anyway and sat watching the two of them as they unconsciously competed against each other, performing minor aerobatics for her attention. But the light died down and they went back indoors, discussing the tryouts.

Hermione woke up in the morning feeling a little low. She had a headache and a sniffle. But there was no time to lie there feeling sorry for herself. She had to accompany Harry and Ron to Hogsmeade. She could never even think of letting Harry down if he needed her. She would crawl to Hogsmeade if she had to.

Hermione couldn't recall when she fell in love with Harry Potter. Was it the first time she saw him, a scrawny 11-year-old with messy hair and a heroic history? Or the first time she hugged him, after she had solved the logic puzzle, allowing Harry to confront Voldemort? Or was it last school year when her first date Viktor Krum, hesitantly and with a suspicious brightness in his eyes, told her that he needed a girl who would place him first above all others, not one who was obviously in love with another boy?

At any rate, Krum's angry remark echoed in her head all summer. Was she in love with Harry? She had never stopped to analyse her feelings toward Harry, just assumed that the things she did for Harry were part of saving the world. After all, he was the great hope of the wizarding world, being the only one who had successfully faced Voldemort several times and survived, even emerged victorious. Not even Dumbledore had done it.

But she also realised the huge place Harry had made for himself in her life. She realised how much she thought about him, how much she did, mostly without thinking, to make life more comfortable for him, and how protective she was of him.

Then Dumbledore had visited her and offered her a place in the inner circle of the Order of the Phoenix, a group that had vowed to save Harry at all costs, including their lives. In that moment, Hermione knew that Order or no Order, she was ready to give her life for Harry.

This year, Harry and Ron had changed a bit, apart from the obvious physical changes. Harry had become a little shy around her, which was a totally new development. He also did not take her friendship and help for granted any more. In fact he seemed painfully insecure about her affection. Ron, on the other hand, had stopped being such a prat to her. He still lost his temper, but now he tried to control it.

Earlier, Harry had been the pivot of their little triangle. Now it was Hermione. But Hermione was wise enough to know that this would not last. Ron was sure to find a girl to date as soon as he started looking around, which would be soon. His crush on her was both inevitable and evanescent.

Harry, on the other hand, seemed to need her far more than Ron did, though Hermione didn't fool herself. He didn't need her as much as she needed him, yet. Or did he?

Hermione went over to Madam Pomfrey and got some Pepper Up potion that cleared her head. Then she got ready to accompany Harry and Ron, wand in her harness as usual, her cat Crookshanks in her arms, and three advanced spell books slung over her shoulder, just in case.