Thursday night found Hermione sitting in the Room of Requirement with Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville. Hermione’s hands were trembling slightly as she held the small bag that she had brought with her.
“Ok,” Harry said, looking around at all of them. “So everyone knows their job?”
They all nodded yes.
“Nothing at all might happen,” Harry went on. “But the way I see it, its better that we are prepared, just in case.”
“Here,” Hermione said, and she began handing everyone a small vile filled with a golden substance. “There’s way more than we all need for just the night in those bottles, so we’ll just have to take a sip and we can save the rest.”
*~*~
Once everyone had their bottle of Felix Felicis, they all left the Room of Requirement and headed towards their respective dormitories.
“I’ll meet you guys there, I have something I need to take care of first,” Hermione said, to Harry and Ron as they started towards Gryffindor Tower.
“Do you want one of us to come with you?” Ron asked.
Hermione shook her head. “No, it’ll just take a minute. I’ll catch up with you guys.”
Both Harry and Ron gave her a suspicious glare, but nodded and went on their way.
Hermione changed her direction and headed towards the kitchens. When she arrived at the painting of the bowl of fruit, she tickled the pear, and entered the Hogwarts kitchen.
“Good evening, Miss,” said one of the house elves, bowing low. “How can Ruby be of assistance?”
“Hello, Ruby,” Hermione said, brightly. “And you can help me. Do you know where I can find Dobby?”
Ruby’s expression did not show joy at giving out this piece of information. “Dobby is washing dishes over there, Miss.”
Hermione walked over to the sink where Dobby did indeed stand washing dishes. She smiled when she saw him wearing all the hats and sweaters she had knitted; although she had hoped that the other house elves would have taken some of them.
“Miss Granger,” Dobby squeaked upon seeing her, bowing low and sending soap suds all over the kitchen floor. “It is an honor for Dobby to be visited by one of Harry Potter’s most trusted friends.”
“It’s nice to see you too, Dobby,” Hermione replied, smiling. “I was wondering, Dobby, if you’d be able to do something for me. I would pay you.”
Dobby smiled delightedly. “I would be happy to help such a good friend of Harry Potter’s.”
“I need you to deliver this to Draco Malfoy,” she held out a small package.
Dobby had a panicked look on his face.
“Oh! I’m sorry, you don’t have to give it to him, just place it on his bed,” Hermione said, remembering that Dobby had once been the Malfoy’s house elf, and how they had mistreated him.
Dobby seemed relieved, and he bowed low again. “Dobby will be happy to do as you ask, Miss.”
“Thank you, Dobby, and here, take this,” Hermione said, and handed him a golden galleon.
“Oh! Thank you, miss, thank you!” Dobby squeaked happily.
Hermione thanked Dobby again, and left the kitchens. She walked slowly back towards Gryffindor tower; all the things that had happened to her over the last few months, and the decisions she had just recently made were swirling through her mind.
A few minutes later, Hermione stepped through the portrait hole, and sat down next to Harry and Ron at a table in the corner of the common room. She reached over and grabbed a piece of parchment and an extra quill from Ron.
“What are you working on?” Ron asked. “I thought you said you had finished all your work.”
“I have,” Hermione said, sighing. “I’m writing to a friend.”
Ron glanced at Harry. “Oh…writing to Krum?”
Hermione gave him a look. “No, I’m not writing to Krum,” she said in a mocking voice. “I’m writing to an American friend of mine, Angerona, she goes to the Salem Witches Institute.”
“You never told us about her before,” Harry said.
Hermione shrugged. “My parents sent me to this summer camp thing in America when I was eleven; the summer before I came to Hogwarts. Angerona comes from a good American wizarding family. I got my letter from Hogwarts while I was at camp, and when she saw it, she told me all about herself and her family. We’ve been friends ever since.”
“Well, thanks a lot for not telling us about your secret other best friend,” Ron said, in a sarcastic tone.
Hermione rolled her eyes at both of them. “I haven’t written to her in a while. I just want to fill her in on…stuff…”
At that the three of them dropped the conversation. Hermione continued writing her letter, while Harry and Ron tried to finish their homework, but gave up and started a game of wizard’s chess.
*~*~*~*~
Draco walked through the dungeons towards the Slytherin common room. He had just been to see Professor Dumbledore to discuss some things, and then he had needed to go to the Owlery.
Upon entering the common room, he immediately spotted Pansy Parkinson with a smug look on her face, sitting by the fire. He ignored her, however, and continued straight on into his room. He stopped suddenly. There, on his bed, was a small package.
Draco cautiously approached it. Now that he was openly defying the Dark Lord, he couldn’t trust anything; especially a random package left to him in the Slytherin House.
‘Wait!’
He snatched the package off his bed, and held it in his hands. The writing on it was Hermione’s.
“Draco, I had some extra. I hope it helps. Hermione,” Draco read out loud.
He ripped open the package, and onto his bed fell a small vile of golden liquid. Draco picked it up, and stared at it. She had sent him a vile of Felix Felicis. He just stood there, staring at the bottle.
The door opened behind him, and he quickly hid the potion vile in the pocket of his robes. Then Draco got into his bed, without changing, pulled the curtains closed, and laid there staring at the darkness above him.
*~*~*~*~
Hermione heard a tapping noise, and looked up from the letter she was writing. A large tawny owl was tapping on the tower window.
“I wonder who that’s for,” Ron mused, as he walked over to the window to let the owl in.
The owl soared in and landed right in front of Hermione, sticking out its leg so she could remove the small package that was attached to it.
Hermione removed the package. She recognized the handwriting at once.
“Who’s it from?” Harry asked.
She looked at him. “Uh, no one,” she got up from the table. “I’m gonna go to bed, guys, I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Ooo…k?” Harry said, looking at Ron to see if he understood what was going on.
When Hermione shut the door to her room she put the letter she had been writing on her bed side table, and looked back down at the package in her hands.
“Hermione, I’m sorry. I hope this will help you see that. Draco,” she read out loud.
She opened the package, and a small vile filled with a clear but silvery potion rolled into the palm of her hand.
“Oh my…” Hermione started, but she couldn’t finish. Hermione knew what this was. He had made her the Your Eyes potion.
She stared at the bottle. She knew the effects of the potion, and had always thought it would be interesting to take it. But now, she didn’t know what she wanted to do. She stood there, just staring at the bottle.
The door behind her opened, and she quickly put the potion vile in her trunk before the rest of the girls saw it. Then Hermione changed, got into her bed, pulled the curtains closed around it, and tried to fall asleep.
*~*~*~*~
“Is everything ready?” he hissed.
“Yes, my Lord, everything is ready.”
“Good,” the snake like hiss responded. “I want him dead. Then, nothing will stand in my way.”
The Death Eaters bowed. The faces behind their masks held wide smiles; they were eager for Friday night.