Chapter 27: Third Assault

“So, Hermione, how are you doing?” Draco asked with what appeared to be real concern. About a week had passed since she and Ron had broken up, but she hadn’t told anyone about it except Ginny.

“I’m all right. Why?” Hermione answered.

“Well, I heard about you and Ron…”

“How did you hear about that?” Hermione demanded.

“I have my sources.” Hermione gave Draco a look that said his evasive answer was not good enough this time. She was worried. Had Ginny told so many people about her break-up that the news had made it all the way back to Draco?

“Well, if you must know, Ginny told me, at breakfast, just this morning.”

“I happen to have had breakfast with Ginny myself this morning, before my Ancient Runes class.”

“Yes, but you stay for all of five minutes. When I get down there, well, Ginny and I don’t have Ancient Runes, so we hang out at breakfast on the days you are in class.”

“You and Ginny Weasley hang out at breakfast.”

“Yeah.”

Hermione was amazed. But she was also worried that her break-up might affect her friendship with Ginny. “How is she taking it? She seemed all right when I told her about it.”

“She and I are worried about you. You don’t need to be worried about her.”

“Yes, but Ron’s her brother.”

“Ginny is your friend independently of Ron.”

“That’s good.”

“You can’t honestly think that she only hangs out with you because you are, I mean, were, dating her brother.”

“Well, I help her do her homework as well,” Hermione said, chuckling. “All right, I get it. But it could make things awkward, now that Ron and I are broken up.”

“You and Ginny will be fine. She has a very realistic attitude about her brother. But seriously, how are you feeling?”

“I’m all right. Ron and I just couldn’t reconcile our hopes for the future, you know? It’s not as if we hate each other or anything.”

“Good, then, as long as you’re all right. If you need to talk or anything, well, I can try to listen open-mindedly,” Draco smiled.

“Sure you can,” Hermione joked. “Seriously, though, I’m fine. Really. But thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

A few days later found Hermione in her overstuffed chair, while Draco lay outstretched on the sofa. They were reading their assignments, hoping to get ahead despite their increased responsibilities due to the rules Headmistress McGonagall had implemented in response to the Poppy Caxton attack. As she read, Hermione felt an odd sensation running up and down her right side. It started out very weak, then grew in intensity. She immediately looked up at Draco, who hid behind his book, obviously guilty.

“I know what you are doing,” Hermione said accusingly.

“Who, me?” Draco smiled.

“I’m trying to read here.”

“Go right ahead.”

Hermione went back to reading her Astronomy textbook. After a few minutes, the tickling started again, this time directly under her breast. She closed her book, set it down on the table and stomped over to where Draco was laid out on the sofa.

“You want a tickle fight? I’ll give you a real tickle fight,” she said, pouncing on Draco and tickling his sides mercilessly. Draco jerked about trying to avoid her fingers, laughing like a girl.

“All right, all right, stop, stop!” he squealed.

Hermione couldn’t help but laugh. It was just too easy to tickle him. She let up, but stayed seated next to him on the sofa. Suddenly Draco grabbed Hermione, pulling her on top of him. She looked down at him, a bit frightened by his proximity.

“Hermione,” he said, then pulled her face down to his and started kissing her. Hermione responded immediately. She and Ron were broken up, right? There was no harm with a little affection between herself and Draco, no strings attached, as Ginny would say.

Draco’s hands were slowly tracing circles on Hermione’s back, inching lower and lower. Eventually, Hermione felt Draco cup her arse with his hands. Her breathing hitched in response and she kissed him deeper.

Suddenly, there came a knocking at the door.

“This is ridiculous!” Hermione said, frustrated. “Who the hell is it this time?”

“Oh, that would be Ginny,” Malfoy answered. “I invited her up to study with us. We’ve got that essay due in Transfiguration and I know she likes your help with that subject.”

“You what? You invited Ginny up to our suite to study?” Hermione said in sarcastic amazement.

“Yeah, well…”

“Hey, are you in there?” Ginny was getting impatient.

“Yes, yes, just a second,” Hermione yelled at the door. “All right, Malfoy, do your clean-up spell.” She held her arms out wide and Draco deftly hid all traces of their recent kissing. “You have to teach me how to do that,” Hermione said as she walked to the door. “Clearly I’m going to need it,” she said with a half-smile.

“Come in, come in. Sorry about that,” Hermione said to Ginny. “I didn’t know you were coming. Malfoy forgot to tell me.” Hermione looked over at Draco with mock irritation. “Give me a second to get my Transfigurations notes.” Hermione walked over to her desk. She had permanently dismantled the ‘fortress’ after they returned from their trip to Paris.

The three of them worked on the assignment, which was due the following week, for about an hour, at which point Ginny claimed to be brain-dead. “I think I can finish this later, on my own,” she said. “We’ve figured out the important aspects of the framework. It’s mostly done.”

“Do you want some tea or a snack or something?” Hermione offered. “The house-elves are happy to bring us food and stuff. I’ve knitted them all hats and scarves, but they won’t wear them.”

“Brilliant!” Ginny said, laughing. “Sure, I’d like another one of the chocolate éclairs they had for dessert tonight at dinner.”

“What I don’t understand,” Draco said to Ginny, speaking as if Hermione were not in the room, “is why she persists with this house-elf stuff when it clearly pisses them off.”

“I’m right here,” Hermione interjected. “And I can answer that – because it is the right thing to do and someday they’ll realize it and appreciate my efforts.”

“But in the meantime, I have to smooth things over with them every few days, otherwise, they’d abandon our suite completely.” Draco looked over at Hermione, smiling affectionately.

“So, have you had any luck figuring out who the assailant is?” Ginny changed topics, careful to avoid mentioning the Marauders’ Map.

“We’ve narrowed down the suspects based on who has access to the corridors at the times Poppy Caxton was assaulted here at Hogwarts and was known to be at Hogsmeade back in January as well,” Hermione answered.

“But I don’t think that’s a good set, because we don’t know for sure who was at Hogsmeade. Plus who’s to say that the guy had permission to be in the halls at the time of the second attack? This is not a person who follows rules, obviously,” Draco argued.

“But we’ve taken precautions. All students must stay in pairs after seven o’clock, no female student is supposed to be alone with a male student after that time either,” Hermione was starting to list the regulations McGonagall had put in place after the second assault.

“But we all know no one is following that rule,” Draco interrupted. “It precludes any girl from hanging out with her boyfriend.”

“It’s true, Hermione,” Ginny concurred. “Everyone says they know the guys they hang out with, so it doesn’t apply to them.”

“But we all know everyone,” Hermione argued. “That logic is flawed.”

“I agree,” Ginny said, “but that doesn’t stop me from hanging out with…” She stopped suddenly, realizing that Draco had no idea Harry was secretly visiting her at Hogwarts.

“Ooohh, sounds juicy, Ginny. You’ve got a boy toy on the side, then?” Draco laughed. “Does Harry know?”

“More to the point, Hermione is alone with you all the time, and you are a perfect suspect,” Ginny retorted.

“I have the perfect alibi as well – I was with Hermione both times the assailant committed his crimes. No more believable witness than Head Girl Hermione Granger!” Draco smiled.

“Alright, I guess that lets you off the hook,” Ginny joked.

“But it doesn’t help us find who the real culprit is,” Hermione lamented.

About a week later, Hermione sat in her room, examining the Marauders’ Map as she did each evening, looking for suspicious activity. On the one hand, nothing bad had happened since February. On the other, the assailant was still out there and could strike again. They needed to catch this person soon, so that life could go back to normal at Hogwarts and so that no one else got hurt. It had been three months since the first attack. ‘How can we not be making more progress?’ Hermione wondered.

As Hermione scanned the map, she saw something that struck her as unusual. Harriet Eidson was in the Prefects’ bathroom with Liam Blogus, despite the fact that she was not a Prefect. This was a violation of Headmistress McGonagall’s rule that every student group must consist of at least two female students after seven p.m., as well as against the Prefect’s bathroom policy. Hermione hated to think that the sixth year Gryffindor Prefect could have anything to do with the assaults, but he had blown off his duties a few times earlier in the year and he was currently violating the rules enacted by Headmistress McGonagall after the second assault. Hermione knew that many of the female students had crushes on the handsome boy, so perhaps this was just a romantic interlude between Liam and Harriet. However, it deserved further investigation.

Hermione folded up the map and tapped it with her wand, saying, “Mischief Managed.” She quickly put the map back in the bottom of her trunk and rushed out to find Malfoy.

“Draco!” she said loudly as she entered the common room, not sure where she’d find him.

“I’m right here!” Draco said, mildly irritated. He sat on the sofa, just a few feet from Hermione. “What do you need so urgently?”

“I need you to come with me to the Prefects’ bathroom on the fifth floor, right now,” Hermione replied.

“I know where it is,” Draco muttered. “What’s gotten into you? Isn’t your bathtub big enough for you? Or do you fancy taking a bath with me?” Draco waggled his eyebrows, but stood up to follow her.

“No, this is serious,” Hermione replied. “I have a strange feeling and I want to check it out. Let’s go, there’s no time to lose.” She rushed through the door. Draco had to half-jog to catch up to her.

When they arrived at the Prefects’ bathroom, they found the door locked. As Head Girl, Hermione knew the password to get in, but it didn’t work. The room was sealed by some sort of spell. Fortunately, Hermione and Draco had been given access to passwords that over-ruled any other locking mechanisms inside Hogwarts by Headmistress McGonagall after the second assault.

“Silver Tabby,” Hermione said and the door opened. She and Draco rushed into the bathroom, where they found Liam Blogus standing over Harriet Eidson, who was kneeling in front of him. Liam’s hand was raised as if to hit Harriet, who looked dazed, and had a large red welt already forming on the side of her face.

Draco quickly drew his wand and shouted, “Petrificus Totalus.” Liam fell to the floor. Hermione rushed to Harriet’s side. She was under some sort of Confundus charm, similar to Poppy Caxton when they found her. Hermione looked to Draco.

“What should we do now? We have to get Harriet to the infirmary, but we have to alert Headmistress McGonagall that we’ve captured Liam as well, before he comes out of the Full Body-Bind.”

“I’ll stay here and watch over Liam. You take Harriet to the infirmary, then run back up to McGonagall’s office. Can she walk with you, do you think?” Draco gestured at Harriet.

Hermione tried to get Harriet to stand. The girl acquiesced to Hermione’s touch and followed willingly. ‘Must be part of the spell,’ Hermione thought. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she told Draco.

“No problem. I can handle Liam if he comes to,” Draco said threateningly.

“Don’t do anything violent!” Hermione advised, worried that Draco might take it upon himself to punish Liam. “It’s up to Headmistress McGonagall to decide his punishment.”

“I won’t hurt him, though I’m tempted,” Draco replied.

Two hours later, Draco and Hermione sat in their common room, in front of the fire.

“That was amazing, Hermione. I can’t believe your instincts were so on about the Prefects’ bathroom tonight.” Draco was seriously impressed with Hermione’s ability to predict where the next assault would occur. “And to think, you gave up studying Divination!” he added, teasingly.

“I wonder if Professor Trelawney would let me use tonight’s experience in lieu of taking a NEWT exam in Divination,” Hermione joked back. She didn’t want Draco to think she had some special ability that she did not really possess, but she couldn’t tell him about the Marauders’ Map.

“Wait until everyone learns that you single-handedly captured Liam Blogus!” Draco enthused. “You’re going to be a hero all over again!”

“I wasn’t alone. You helped me.”

Draco scoffed, “I just followed your lead. I thought you were barmy. I went to the Prefects’ bathroom expecting it to be empty. I was trying to figure out a way to convince you to take a bath with me.” Draco laughed and Hermione smiled.

“I’m just glad that we don’t have to worry about any more assaults here at Hogwarts,” Hermione said. “It was driving me crazy, not being able to find him out, not being able to stop him. Like a constant cloud following us around.”

“Yes, Hogwarts will be a much happier, carefree place come tomorrow,” Draco concurred. “There’s one small silver lining to all this, though,” Draco said slyly.

“Yes? And what is that?” Hermione asked.

“Well, you now have to admit that Gryffindor House is not infallible. I never would have heard the end of it if a Slytherin had been at fault!”

“Yes, it is a major disappointment for me, I’ll admit it,” Hermione responded. “How could he have been made a Prefect! Either he suddenly changed or no one really knew him well before. Someone should have picked up on the clues that must have been there, the signs that he was coming unhinged.”

“Maybe McGonagall thought added responsibility would make him a better person.”

Hermione laughed. “That’s what we wondered when Dumbledore made you a Prefect!” Draco smirked at her. “But seriously, I don’t understand why he suddenly started beating up girls, girls who liked him.”

“We may never know,” Draco replied. “Which will drive you mad, I know,” he teased.

“True,” Hermione acknowledged. “Even though we’ve caught him, I don’t feel the closure I expected.”

“I wonder what will happen to him,” he wondered. “He’s only sixteen.”

“Well, he’ll be expelled straight away,” Hermione answered. “Are there psychiatric hospitals for wizards?” The befuddled look on Draco’s face answered her question, so she continued, “Does St. Mungo’s have some sort of treatment program for underage wizards who show behavioral problems?”

“Despite the fact that you believe me to be an expert on all things related to underage wizards with behavioral problems,” Draco retorted sarcastically, “I don’t know the answer to that.”

“I wonder if Filch has him strung up by his thumbs, down in the dungeons,” Hermione said.

“Would serve the bastard right,” Draco replied.