The gryffindor common room was buzzing with noise. Third Years chattering on about their recent trips to Hogsmeade, intense chess matches, frantic procrastinators finishing up work due the next day. Things never change; it seems. And so, upon looking up, Hermione is greeted with a burning sense of nostalgia. Ron grossly interested in his chess match with Seamus, though it once used to be Harry in Seamus’ place. The fire crackled, fading into the background, virtually noticeable over all the racket. Something was off and Hermione knew exactly what it was. The absence of Harry, of course.
Harry was always available, from when the sun raised to when the sun set. Though it seems there’s a small lie in that sentence, apart from bathroom breaks and separate classes, there was always this two-hour gap where Harry was nowhere to be found. Once classes ended and everyone went up to the common room, Harry would spew up some cocked-up excuse. “I’ll only be gone a minute, need to use the loo is all.” or “Hm, I must’ve forgotten my jumper.” from when the three of them go out to the lake and decide to lose the jumpers.
The first few times it started, Hermione had tried to butt in, to ask questions and pay attention to body language. However, Harry always seemed relaxed, if not a bit jittery, but that was just Harry. The questionnaire also didn’t raise any answers as Harrys only response would be a shrug of the shoulders and a quick jolt of the common room to avoid any further questions.
Ron had offered some advice, saying that it was because of the war that Harry just wanted to be left alone. Hermione hadn’t fully believed it, but it was the only answer she’d been given, so she let it rest. In hindsight, it shouldn't seem so bothersome, but there was always this gnawing in the back of Hermiones head that there was something more.
This is what led to Hermione making up a plan. A plan that would reveal all the secrets Harry had been keeping from her. Okay maybe not all his secrets, just the ones that were making him all happy looking and googly eyed at times. She just wanted to know that whatever was going on, she wasn’t left out on it. She wouldn’t go too far, just enough that would put her mind at ease, since harry wasn’t telling her anything.
The plan consisted of one simple component, The Marauders Map.
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This was so wrong, and boy did Hermione know it. But there were questions that needed answering, so sneaking into the boys' dormitories and getting Harry's map was the only solution.
Facing Hermione was the trunk Harry had never thought of replacing, it was his first ever one and the boy was apparently sentimental towards it, his initials carved into the inside. Hermione had cast several charms, making sure to not trigger any protection charms Harry might’ve put, there were a couple, some weak and others not doing much, just hexes that could come across as a funny joke. Hermione rolled her eyes. He seriously needed to up his game, Hermione would certainly talk to him about that, maybe, probably not.
Now chewing on her lip, realizing the true severity of this, she shook her head. She was already here; might as well finish the job and get the answers she had been desperately trying to get.
With a deep breath Hermione started taking out Harry’s belongings one by one. Old school robes, books they haven’t needed since second year, and finally, the map.
Hermione took out her wand, said the magic words, and just like that, the whole of Hogwarts was at her hands. Searching frantically for the name ‘Harry Potter’ to pop out at her. When it finally did, it was met with another name. A name she had been expecting but she couldn’t just be making assumptions!
And like always Hermione was right, Harry had been meeting up with Draco Malfoy.