The Task

Chapter 9: The Vanishing Cabinet

The next day, Hermione headed up towards the fifth floor corridor while Ron and Harry were at Quidditch practice. She had told them she'd be studying during her free period, but instead opted to spy on Malfoy and stop him from doing anything he would come to regret. She stood at the end of the corridor, waiting for something peculiar to happen. Nothing did, for a while. Hermione didn't know which classes Malfoy was taking and had no idea if he was in one now but she was not going to take any chances. She walked down the corridor and touched the stone of the walls. She thought of the room of requirement and grazed the stone for which it usually hid behind. On cue, the wall shifted and a great metal archway etched itself into the stone. Hermione walked through it and the stone shifted back into its original place. Hermione stared in awe at the sight of it. It looked quite different from when she lasted remembered it for it was packed with things, random things that students must have hidden away there. Hermione didn't want to touch anything, in case it would reveal her points of discretion, but she was tempted for some of the objects were very curious indeed. Hermione wondered what on Earth drew Malfoy to this room but her query was answered almost immediately. A tall piece of wooden furniture stood mightily at the centre of the room. It was covered by a sheet but only half of it was shielded. She managed to catch the design on it and it looked incredibly familiar. This looked exactly like the vanishing cabinet that Malfoy had examined in Borgin & Burke's. Hermione refrained from touching it, in case something was hidden inside, though she doubted that whatever or whoever was inside it would reveal themselves or they would have killed her on the spot if they happened to be death eaters. She gazed up at it, itching to run her fingers along the design, a golden pattern that wove in and out of each other just at the edge of the door of the cabinet. The handle was rich, as if made of gold, which Hermione thought was probably real. Hermione couldn't help herself, she reached out for the handle to pull on it when she heard a voice from behind.

"What are you doing!" Malfoy snapped from behind her. Hermione retreated from the cabinet, her fingertips had just touched the handle. Malfoy rushed up to her and pulled her away from the cabinet. He wasn't delicate about it either. Hermione tore his hand off her right away, rubbing the area of her arm where he applied unnecessary pressure.

"I'm curious, why are you so interested in this cabinet?" Hermione asked.

"That is none of your business," Malfoy said, covering the cabinet completely out of sight with the sheet. "Stop meddling in other people's affairs."

"When I asked you what you were doing here yesterday, you said you couldn't tell me because if you did, he'd do something to you," Hermione recalled. "Who's he? Voldemort?" Malfoy cringed at the mention of his name.

"Don't say his name!" Malfoy spat.

"Not afraid of it," Hermione said.

"Well, you should be," Malfoy retorted.

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"What a stupid question," Malfoy replied. "You know why."

"Are you afraid of him?" Hermione asked, delicately.

"Of course I am!" Malfoy said, impatient, "why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," Hermione said. "Just didn't think you'd be afraid of anything." Hermione truly meant that too. Malfoy walked over to a chair that was dumped in the corner and sat in it. He bent down, twiddling with his fingers.

"Everyone's afraid of something," Malfoy said, in the softest tone Hermione had ever heard him speak to her. Hermione was touched by his honesty. Hermione went over to him and pulled out a chair opposite him. He looked up slightly, then looked away.

"You can't let him control you," Hermione said, understandingly.

"I can and I will. Fear controls anything," Malfoy said, his head still bent, not looking Hermione in her eyes, as if he were ashamed he was talking with such civility to a muggle-born.