Hermione made her way down to the Great hall. It was the last day before Christmas break and she had managed to finish all her homework earlier. She was leaving for the Burrow tomorrow along with Ginny and she couldn't wait to meet her friends.

The Great Hall had been decorated for the feast. Large tapestries lined the walls and a huge christmas tree sat next to the professor's table. Mistletoes were put up in corners and large fire torches with intricate designs adorned the walls. The ceiling had been enchanted to look like a snowy night.

Hermione made her way to the Gryffindor table and sat next to Ginny and Parvati. "Hi Hermione! Ready to leave tomorrow?" Ginny asked her. "Oh yes! I can't wait to see them!" She smiled at her. She gulped down her Pumpkin juice and plopped a serving of mashed potatoes onto her plate. Her eyes roamed around the hall stopping at the Slytherin table. Blaise, Pansy, Nott, Bulstrode were huddled together in a corner, laughing over something. She frowned. Where was Draco? He really ought to start coming for meals she thought remembering how he had almost fainted the other night.

"Mione! Are u even listening?" Ginny asked her staring at her. "Huh?" She said turning her attention back to her friends. "She was asking what you got the guys for Christmas." Parvati said "Jeez Hermione where were you lost?" Hermione looked at Ginny apologetically as she picked up a bowl of eggnog and Christmas pudding. She was just about to answer when a piercing shriek echoed around the hall.

Hermione shot up from her seat, wand at ready and looked around in panic. Suddenly there was chaos everywhere. First and Second Years were screaming, Prefects were trying to give orders and Professors were trying and failing at calming everyone down. The tapestry hanging right behind the Ravenclaw table had caught fire. The fire torch next to it had tipped, sending the cloth up in flames. Within seconds, the fire had spread, from tapestry to tapestry until almost a whole wall of the hall was ablaze.

"Parvati! Take the first years to the dorms please and ask the other prefects to do the same. Empty the hall as fast as you can." Hermione yelled over the chaos as she took off to help the Professors who were trying to put off the fire. Her eyes had started to water and she coughed as smoke started to fill the hall. "Aguamenti!" she called out as a strong jet of water spayed out of the tip of her wand. She aimed it at the tapestries and slowly watched the fire ebb away.

It took a while to put out the fire. Though the wall was burnt and the tapestries had been reduced to ashes, no one was hurt. Hermione paced outside Professor McGonagall's office where the professors and aurors were having a meeting. She was exhausted as ever but refused to go to bed without learning the cause of the fire.

When the door to the headmistress's office finally opened, all the professors and aurors came out looking grim as ever. Professor McGonagall caught her eye and sighed before beckoning her to come in. "Ms. Granger. What can I do for you?" McGonagall sat behind her table and looked at her. "I'm sorry I know it's late professor but I need to know what happened today. Was it really just an accident?" "If you must know, then no, it wasn't. The torches were fixed to the walls. They wouldn't have fallen over unless someone forcefully tipped them." "Do you think…do you think the person from the night of the ball could have had something to do with it?" she asked. Professor McGonagall nodded "Yes. The aurors found out that the tapestries hanging on the other walls were drenched with oil. It was all planned out. Someone had wanted to set the whole Hall ablaze and quite possibly, everyone inside it too."

Hermione tossed and turned in her bed. Her talk with McGonagall had left her worried if anything. It was quite possible that the man would strike again. His plan had failed twice, but third time's always a charm. Only if they could find him first and put an end to this twisted game.

She sighed and got up, pulling on a jacket. She might as well grab a book to read from the bookshelf in the common room since sleep was far away. As she headed down she saw that the door to Draco's room was slightly ajar. She hadn't seen him since morning. Curious, she walked inside his room.

His room was pretty much similar to hers. A desk, a cupboard, a bedside table, and a small balcony, it was all there. Hermione looked around and frowned. His bed was made, it didn't look like anyone had slept in it in a while. His school robes hung inside his cupboard and a few of his books lay neatly on his desk. What caught her eye was a large glass container sitting on his bedside table. She picked the bottle up and felt the greasy liquid around the rim on her fingers. Oil. The bottle was half empty. The tapestries hanging on the other walls were drenched with oil. She kept the bottle back down. Draco. He hadn't been at the feast or at the ball when the fire had started. Remember Miss Granger, Once a death eater always a death eater.

"Snooping around are we?"

Hermione whipped around, breathing hard. Draco was standing at the doorway, his face was flushed and his hair as messy as ever. He held his Nimbus 2001 in one hand and the other rested against the door. Hermione's eyes narrowed, "We needed you at dinner today. Where the hell were you?" Draco rolled his eyes and walked inside, placing his broom on the desk "It's none of your fucking business Granger." "Except that it is! You're head boy and its time you take some responsibility! Where were you?" Hermione walked around the bed so that they were standing face to face. She tried to find a clue in his eyes but they just remained stormy as ever. Draco sighed as he turned towards his cupboard trying to find a clean change of clothes "If you must know, I was out flying, or are you too blind to see the broomstick?"

After a while of contemplation, she asked him, "Do you know what happened at dinner?" "Well yes Granger, I don't live under a fucking rock." "And do you know what McGonagall told me? The tapestries were drenched in oil. This wasn't just an accident." Draco took out a clean tshirt and finally turned around to finally look at her "What are you trying to say?" "And do you know what I found in your room today? A half empty bottle of oil."

Shock and anger flashed in his eyes. He looked at Hermione and then at the bottle which sat on his bedside table. "You weren't there at dinner and I couldn't find you at the feast. You were a death eater Draco. You have motive and the resources." She reached up and held his shoulder lightly as his eyes clouded up again "Own up to this and I'll talk to Shacklebolt for you. They won't be so harsh on you, I promise." She whispered.

Draco scoffed, moving so that her hand fell from his shoulder. He stared at her before saying, "Of all the people, I didn't think of you to judge someone for their past." He looked away, "Get out." Hermione didn't know what to think. Was she wrong to accuse him? Could he really have done something like this? Or had he changed? Hermione took a deep breath before taking a step towards him, "Malfoy." She said as she reached up with her hand to lightly cup his cheeks. "Please. If…if you know anything at all…" Draco jerked back and turned around. His hands fisted as he spat out "I told you to get the fuck out of here."

Hermione stood there in silence for a minute, hoping he would say something. She knew that he was hurt by the way that he refused to look at her. She sighed and walked out of his room. She could feel him looking at her as she made her way to her own room. She had pretty much accused him of trying to murder everyone at Hogwarts. But what with the bottle of oil and his mysterious disappearances at the time of the accidents, it only made sense to her that it had been him. And yet, she didn't want to believe it.

"Granger," Draco finally called out, stopping her in the middle of opening the room. Hermione turned around and looked at him questioningly. A feeling of nervousness and dread filled her as for a moment she thought that he would confess. She looked into his eyes which had turned to their usual colour, and immediately felt much calmer. "Yes?" She Asked. "I used the oil for oiling my broom." He said before shutting his door, leaving her behind with a small smile stuck to her face as relief washed over her.

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