Marked

The Heartbeat

They nodded, while Malfoy went pale. "Curse?" he asked, clearly bothered.

"It was while you were . . . recovering," she told him. "I went to the restricted section to find out what horcruxes were, and there was a book missing. When I tried to use a locator spell, I got picked up and thrown across the room."

Malfoy looked appropriately alarmed, but Harry interrupted before he could say anything. "I might know where that book is now," Harry said, his brow furrowed with thought. "Dumbledore said there used to be a book about horcruxes in the library, but that he removed it after Tom Riddle found it."

Hermione hummed thoughtfully. "That explains why Snape didn't know what book was there," she realized. "It would have been removed before his time."

Malfoy rubbed his forehead wearily. "You were cursed and talked to Snape while I was gone? I'm never going unconscious again."

She patted his knee absentmindedly but returned her attention to Harry. "Where do you think it is, then? Did Dumbledore say?"

Harry grimaced. "I'm almost positive it's in his office."

"You mean the new headmaster's office," Ron pointed out, grumbling.

Harry shrugged. "Whatever."

"That makes sense," Hermione said softly. She straightened. "Well. We'll have to go there, then."

Malfoy cleared his throat loudly. "Is this something you three do often?" he asked with labored impatience. "You realized you're talking about breaking into Dumbledore's office, then, and somehow not being seen by any of the elves or ghosts or - I don't know - cats?"

Harry grinned widely. "You haven't spent much time with us," he noted with amusement. "We have things to take care of all that."

"An invisibility cloak," Ron said, ticking the items off on his fingers. "The Marauder's Map - "

"Right," Malfoy mumbled. "How could I forget."

"There's a reason you've always had such a hard time catching us, Malfoy," Harry reminded him, a smug look on his face.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Look, I don't exactly relish the thought, but I think we need to get our hands on that book." She pulled out of Malfoy's reach slightly, angling herself to be able to look at both him and Ron. "And while Harry and I are gone - "

"Wait, I'm not coming with you?" Malfoy asked, rattled, just as Ron made a face.

Ron groaned. "You'd leave me here with him?"

Harry, on the other hand, looked happily entertained. "What are you planning, Hermione?"

She sighed loudly. "Well, I think Harry should come with me - he knows Dumbledore's office really well," she pointed out. "And I don't want to be in there forever."

"Fair," Ron pronounced loudly. "But - "

"And," she continued, "I think Malfoy should have a look around the Room of Hidden Things." She eyed him carefully. "I'd be willing to bet there's a horcrux in there."

"Maybe," Malfoy replied curtly. "But which one?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "But for you to be in there, nobody can be in this room, so you might as well take Ron with you to have a look."

"Or," Malfoy suggested moodily, "the two of you can just take him with you."

Ron glanced at them sharply. "By all means, keep talking about me like I'm total deadweight," he muttered. "I'm not at all offended."