The Note
It was two days before the ball. Hermione and Draco had danced every night to practice, Pansy and Blaise occasionally joining them, and had practiced fencing as well, Hermione beating Draco increasingly.She had found herself going to the library with Draco often as well to research the Ravenclaw diadem and other possible ways to destroy a horcrux.
She was now sat in her favourite part of the library, coffee in one hand and the book she had just bought in the other. She had thought that there might have been a spell to simulate basilisk venom but with no luck she found herself reading how to cast the echolocation spell. 'videte per sonus' she found herself repeating in her head.
"Found anything?" She asked as she shut her book and took a sip of the coffee, the sweet liquid like honey on her tongue.
"Not much, only something about how the best items to put them in are everyday objects like a muggle coin or a pebble, I guess Voldemort didn't read this."
"Yeah." She snickered. "I can't find anything either. There has to be something we are missing."
"Maybe there is another way of destroying them that hasn't been discovered yet." He said as he frowned down at the book.
"I doubt it, they were invented so they wouldn't be destroyed."
He stood up suddenly and walked towards her. "I think we need a break. Let's go for a walk."
"Umm, I think we should keep looking."
"Yes but you are on your third cup of coffee and I think some fresh air would be good." He walked closer and took her by her hands and pulled her from the chair.
"Fine but thirty minutes tops."
She got up from her chair and put on her winter coat. "So where do you want to go?"
"Courtyard sounds good."
It did take long for them to be outside in the snow. She could see where the fresh layer of snow had been stepped in by an animal and couldn't help wondering what animal it was. They walked out from the shelter of the arches and she breathed in the crisp air. She had to admit that this was a good idea but she didn't want Draco to become all smug so she kept her mouth shut and smiled to herself at the thought.
"Tell me about yourself." He said suddenly.
"What do you mean?"
"Well I'm getting to know you now but I have realised that I don't really know who you are as a person, what your likes and dislikes are, what your family is like."
"Hmm okay, I really like reading."
"Tell me something I don't know." He laughed.
"Fine then, I really like Paris, I went there a few years ago and it was one of the best experiences of my life. There are museums and art galleries all over the place and don't even get me started on the pastries and cakes." She replied a smile breaking across her face.
"So you like pastries and cakes?"
"Yeah but only when I eat them, I absolutely hate baking."
"Why is that?" He smirked.
"Flour and cake mix just gets everywhere and if you are using a recipe book it is guaranteed to get covered in flour."
"So in short you don't like it because you don't want your books to get dirty." He chuckled.
"Yes that's exactly what it is."
"Tell me something else."
She placed her fingers to her mouth as she thought. "I have a cat named Crookshanks."
"Really, what's it like."
"Well he loves be grumpy around specifically Ron, and he likes to curl up with me by the fireplace when I read."
"Seems like me and Crookshanks have something in common."
She raised an eyebrow. "What, do you want to curl up with me by the fire." She smirked.
"No of course not." He looked away. "I meant that I too want to grumpy around specifically Ron." He chuckled.
"Now tell me something about yourself, and don't you dare try and avoid it by asking another question."
"Well I really like to read as well."
"What specifically do you like to read?" She smiled.
"I'll tell you but don't laugh okay. I like to read muggle fiction, so fantasy and historical fiction. I find it interesting to see their perspective on the mythical creatures."
"So have you read The Hobbit?" She smirked.
"Of course I have."
"What did you think?" The quirked an eyebrow.
"It seemed like Bilbo was just dragged of a massive walk by a crazy wizard."
She laughed at how blankly he said it. "Tell me something you don't like."
"I really don't like riddles."
"What? Why?" She laughed.
"They are stupid and half the fine they don't make any sense."
"But you have literally spent the last two months trying to work out a riddle."
"And that is another reason why I don't like them." He replied seriously as he brushed his hair from his eyes. "What about your family?"
"Well umm, well my parents work as dentists, and umm we live quite close to London. Wait..."
As she looked across the yard she noticed that there was only one other person out there and she couldn't believe who it was. It was Jeremy Smith, the Ravenclaw boy and he was looking directly at them. Draco must have noticed as well because came to a halt, placing is arm in front of her, positioning himself between her and the boy.
As she looked at the boy she noticed how sickly he looked, how his face was gaunt and his eyes looked slightly panicked. She noticed that in his hand was a scrunched up ball of paper. He made eye contact with her and as he did, immediately dropped the paper and walked off back under the arches and through a door.
She carefully walked over to the paper ball and just as she was about to pick it up she felt Draco's hand on her shoulder. "Wait it might be cursed." Suddenly vivid memories of what had happened to Katie Bell two years ago flashed through her mind. Draco had done that.
"Well it's going to take ages to dissect it to see if there are any spells, I'm willing to take the risk." She moved to pick it up but before she could he picked it up instead. Nothing happened.
"Can't have you getting cursed now can we." He smirked.
"What does it say?" He unfurled the paper and showed it to her. It was the missing page from the care of magical creatures book and it was indeed explaining how to make a Basilisk. At the bottom of the page was some writing that appeared to be written in a rush. Draco read out what it said. "To Hermione and Draco, you don't have much time, the diadem possessed me, stealing my mind from me, I have large gaps in my memory, I don't no what it is planning or what it even is but it's big, all of the other notes on this paper are what it has made me write, I hope that you are reading this and you know what to do to stop it before it's too late. I could speak to you directly because every time I have tried I pass out. You can't tell anyone, lots of people have become possessed by the crown, you don't know who is safe. Please. Fix this."
Hermione covered her mouth with her hands. "This can't be happening, he is back."
"We can stop this before anything happens."
"What if we can't, what if he wins this time!" Her hands started to shake as he removed them from her face, holding them in his own hands.
"Then we will run away, we will run to France to my families cottage, no one will find us there, okay."
"But what about everyone else?"
"If it gets to that point then we can warn people."
She stared down at the pice of paper, all over it was scribbles, symbols, and ancient tunes, some of which she had never seen before. "A lot of these symbols are for dark magic, we need to go to the library now and figure out what this means."
Draco pointed at one of the symbols that was regularly repeated throughout the writing. "I think we know what's going to happen, that rune is for anti-aparition wards, that's how all of the death eaters got out of Azkaban."
"But how would the spirit in the diadem be able to get rid of the anti-aparition wards in Azkaban from here in the castle."
"The diadem is enchanted so increase intellect right, what if the spirit in the crown has access to the enchantments in it."
"But that would mean that Voldemorts soul is connected to one of the most powerful magical artefacts in history, has access to all information and we have no idea where it is or how to stop it, and we can't tell anyone incase they are possessed."
"I think that is exactly what has happened."