Author's Note- Hey all my pretties! I am so sorry it has been a while since I updated. Life has been hectic between chasing after a two year old, getting ready for college, and helping my sister with her new-born babe! Oh, that and my now lack of a beta. Which stinks!

So, I am going to try to post my often, though it will be slow going. I had to re-evaluate my story and figure out where it was heading once more before I could continue since I lost all my notes for this! TT^TT Anyway, without further ado, here is Chapter Six!

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Annoyed blue eyes looked up from the book they were currently buried behind to give his dark haired companion a withering look. "Must you do that? It is maddening." Blaise's answer was a mere smirk.

"You can't hide in the library forever, Draco," the amused answer came. "I don't like being with the bloody Gryffindor's any more than you do."

The book in Draco's hand snapped shut, the noise ricocheting through the silence of the library and drawing a stern look from Madam Pince who immediately spoke, "Silence in the library," before turning back to what she was doing. Her words fell on deaf ears, as neither Blaise nor Draco cared what the old hag had to say.

"I'm not hiding," he growled. He was a Malfoy, and Malfoy's did not hide. They were too prideful for that. No, he had a reason for being here tonight. Zabini perked a curious eyebrow letting the testiness in Draco's voice pass.

"Then why, pray tell, are we sitting in the library of all places?"

He watched the roll of Draco's piercing eyes. "Are you really that daft?" Draco reached into his robes and pulled out the worn leather bound book and watched realisation dawn over Zabini's face.

"You're going to approach Granger?"

"You know as well as I do that Pothead and Weasel don't set foot in this place. If I am going to approach her, it will have to be here, where the idiots are less likely to interfere." Nervous fingers tittered over the spine of the book as he leaned back in his chair. He had no idea if Hermione would even listen to what he had to say, hell, he had no idea how he was even going to begin to explain this to her. The easiest way would be to shove the book in her face, he assumed, but she may not take to well to that. Even a know-it-all like her would not appreciate having something forced in her face, no matter how much information she would gleam from it.

As if on cue, the bushy haired teen entered the vast library. If she noticed them, she didn't show it as she made her way to the table next to the window before taking out parchment and a quill. It was now or never, it seemed.

"Stay here," he commanded which earned him a mocking two finger salute from Zabini, grabbed the book, and sauntered over towards her with confidence he didn't feel. He watched as she scribbled hastily on the parchment before tucking her hair behind her ears and scanning something in a book she must have pulled out from her bag.

Plastering a smirk on his face he casually drawled out, "Granger," before plopping into the chair in front of her. He made sure the book was clearly in her view, though he knew no title showed on the cover or spine.

Her head snapped up from her work, a look of distaste crossing her face. "Malfoy," she spat out before placing the quill on the worn table surface. As he suspected, her eyes were drawn towards the book between them with unspoken curiosity. "Rather brave of you to come face me without your cronies."

His smirk grew wider as his fingers pressed the book a few centimetres in her direction. "I don't need those lugnuts to handle you, Granger." Her eyes never wavered from the book on the table. She was interested, and that was a good sign.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" And there it was. His opening. Flipping the book towards her he opened it up towards the section he marked off and shoved it towards her.

"This is why I am here," he indicated with a flick of his wrist. He watched as her thirsty eyes scanned the page with rapt attention. He watched the curiosity on her face morph to horror, then to confusion. Her hands reached out and took the book before gingerly turning the page to read more in detail about the spell.

The caster of the spell has the ability to rip out the manifestation of their intended targets hearts, giving them complete control over the person, allowing them to spy on their conversations, and even being able to speak through them without their knowledge.

Furthermore, the one who cast the spell simply has to destroy the heart and the victim would fall dead.

The book continued on with the grim topic, listing several other things that was possible through this. Draco watched her eyes flutter up from the page to rest on him as the cogs in her brain turned. "Why show me this, Malfoy?"

He let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding and perched his chin on his fist. "Whether you will believe me or not, I don't want the Dark Lord to rule." Her eyes narrowed, suspicion washing over her face. "Yes, yes," he continued with a sarcastic bite to his voice. "It's hard to believe that Draco fucking Malfoy would want to do something against his upbringing."

"It is hard to believe, Malfoy. I fail to see how this," she retorted with a wave of her hand, "has any relevance towards stopping the Dark Lord."

Breathe, Draco. The former Slytherin reached out and tapped the book with his fingers to draw her attention back to it. "This has everything to do with the Dark Lord, Granger. If you would just read and use that bloody mind of yours, you would understand." An irate huff Hermione, her eyes returning back towards the pages of the book.

"Are you saying, that this is what he does with his followers?" Draco remained silent, neither confirming nor denying her statement. Think, Granger. Think. Her fingers flipped back a page to reread something on the paper and her head tilted to the right slightly. He let her continue to dig deeper into the information. If anyone could put it together, it would be her. He pushed himself up from the chair and let the palms of his hands rest on the table.

"Keep digging, Granger."

They shared a look for a moment, then Draco plastered his smirk to his face. "How do I know you aren't just trying to lead us astray?"

"You don't," he replied smoothly. In fact, she had no reason to believe him, or what he laid in front of her. He was well aware of this. Even with the Sorting Hat placing him in Gryffindor, that couldn't undo years of torture he put them through. Without another word, Draco shoved away from the table, leaving the book in her capable hands for now. He would just have to see if she could piece it together. Surely she was smart enough to do that.

It seemed the trip to Hogsmead seemed to come sooner than both Hermione and Harry wanted it too. Neither was looking forward to spending the day with the Weasly's. Hermione because she had too much research to do. She had yet to crack whatever it was that Malfoy was trying to tell her and it bothered her. She had taken pages of notes in attempt to piece it together but it felt as if she was missing something vital. Whenever she thought she got close to the answer, it would slip through her fingers.

Harry on the other hand was dreading spending the day with Ginny. He knew that she was infatuated with him, that much was blatantly obvious, but she didn't seem to get the hint that he wasn't interested in her. She was his best friends little sister, and on top of that, she looked too similar to his mother that it put him off. Of course, there was also the fact that his heart was already taken, though it was unrequited.

So with lacklustre movements, the two got ready for the day ahead of them before making their way to Hogsmead where they would meet up with Ginny and Ron. Silence hung between the two, though it was not an uncomfortable one. Far from it in fact. Finally, the silence was broken by Hermione, "Ready for today?" Her caramel coloured eyes slanted towards Harry who hesitated a moment.

"As ready as I will ever be," was his reply. It wasn't very enthusiastic, but considering that Harry was still struggling with the loss of Sirius Black, she let it slide. A bitter wind whipped around them, forcing them to pull their cloaks tighter around their bodies to seal in their rapidly waning body heat.

"Think the weather will hold out for our trip?" she inquired, leaning against the icy stone wall. Both pairs of eyes glanced up towards the dark sky, then to each other.

"Perhaps."

"Harry!" the high pitched squeal came before the owner of the voice latched onto Harry's arm. She shot a smug look in Hermione's direction before turning towards Harry with a sultry smile. Resting her head on Harry's shoulder, the red haired female began to lead Harry in the direction of Hogsmead, leaving Hermione alone with Ron.

"Where should we go to first, Harry?" Ginny asked in a sugar coated voice that made Harry's head pound. It was going to be a long trip. Eventually they settled on the Three Broomsticks. The two took a table near the back before Ginny began to mindlessly prattle on. Instead of listening to her, he turned his attention to the weather outside. The snow was beginning to come down in thick clumps, the wind howling angrily and shaking the windows of Madam Rosmerta's shop. It was progressively getting worse outside.

Ginny cleared her throat, an annoyed look crossing her face as she realised Harry hadn't been listening to her. Green eyes drifted back to the irked girl. "You weren't listening to a word I said, where you?" her voice was accusatory as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sorry, Gin. I guess I'm just a bit distracted is all," which wasn't a complete lie. She studied him for a moment, then seemed to accept his answer. She waited a few moments to make sure she still held Harry's attention before returning to her chattering.

The minutes ticked by as the weather continued to grow worse. Slowly, patrons began to trickle out of the store desperate to return to the school before the weather got any worse. "Gin," Harry spoke up, sure he interrupted her based on the look on her face. "We should return to Hogwarts before the storm outside worsens."

He stood up from the table and Ginny followed suit. Putting on their scarves, gloves, and cloaks the two headed towards the door, followed by a few other students. The door whipped open with the wind, slamming against the wall as the students piled out of the store into the biting cold. Harry tugged his cloak tighter around his body as they walked back towards the High Street. Ginny was unusually quiet as they walked, not that he minded. In her silence, he heard the sound of two people behind them arguing, though he couldn't make out the words being said.

As the castle slowly crept into view, the arguing behind them grew louder drawing the curious gaze of Harry. He instantly recognised Katie Bell who was clutching onto a package, and Leanne who was pointing towards it. Harry adverted his gaze, it wasn't his business. They took a few more steps before there was an eerie silence. He heard Leanne's voice calling out to Katie, the tone having shifted from angry to upset.

He shot a glance over his shoulder again and saw Katie floating in the air, her arms spread out and a serene look on her face as Leanne clung to her ankle. She was desperately trying to pull Katie back to the ground to no avail. "Katie, Katie, please snap out of it!" she cried out as Harry took a few steps towards them.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and a screech of agony was ripped from her lungs. It sluiced through the air, drawing the attention of students in the vicinity who stopped and stared in awe. "Katie!" Leanne wept tugging on her leg again.

"Gin, help Leanne," he ordered before bolting back towards Hogsmead. "I'm going to find help." The blistery wind stung his eyes, and felt like it was freezing his lungs as he sprinted as fast as he could, the sounds of Katie's shrieks still ringing in his ears.

Rounding a corner, he knocked into someone, falling towards the ground. "Yeh okay Harry?" the gruff voice asked.

"Hagrid, come quick," Harry didn't waste time in explaining, and ran back towards where he left Leanne, Katie, and Ginny. When the two made it back towards them, Hermione and Ron had joined Leanne. Hagrid looked at Katie, then to the parcel on the ground near her.

"Merlin's beard," Hagrid said in a hushed tone. "Outta the way!" In three giant strides he was next to Leanne and scooped Katie up in his arms. "Grab the necklace, bu' don' touch it! 'S cursed."

Carefully, Harry scooped the package up, making sure that the necklace was safely tucked away in the wrapper. Something about the necklace caught his memory. He has seen this necklace before, though he couldn't place where. "Yeh make yer way t' McGonagall's, yeh hear?" Hagrid ordered before he rushed Katie to the Castle.

Hermione walked over to Leanne, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Leanne, what happened?" she inquired as she gently steered Leanne towards the school.

"Sh-she went to the loo," Leanne sniffled, her hands reaching up to wipe away her tears as she allowed Hermione to lead her to the castle. "Wh-when she came back, she had th-the package. Said she had to deliver it to Dumbledore…but didn't say who gave it to her." Leanne whimpered as they finally entered the school. "I-I tried to tell her it was a bad idea, b-but she wouldn't listen to me…" there was a pause as Hermione and Harry let that settle in their minds.

"It'll be okay," Hermione reassured her as the followed behind Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Leanne gave her a doubtful look.

"Do you know who gave her the necklace, Leanne?" Harry asked as they hastily made their way up the stairs.

"No…she didn't say."

Silence stretched out between them and lasted until they made it to McGonagall's office. "Good heavens, what is going on?" Gingerly, Harry laid the necklace down on her desk. "Don't touch it. Hagrid says it's cursed." McGonagall pulled out her want and drew the opal necklace out of the wrapping paper and laid it on her desk. The stern looking woman studied it for a moment, then flicked her want and sent a patronus out before turning towards them again.

"Explain, now," the stern command came as she sat the wand on her desk. Everyone turned to look at Leanne who sniffled, then retold the account of what happened. Tears once more soaked her cheeks as she finished, turning into a hug that Hermione offered. McGonagall remained silent, then moved from around her desk and placed a hand on Leanne's shoulder. "Why don't you head to the infirmary, Madam Pomfrey can give you something to help you relax."

Leanne sniffled once more, then nodded her head and removed herself from McGonagall's office. After the door closed behind her, McGonagall looked over the four of them. "I suggest you return to your common rooms. Snape will arrive and figure out what the necklace was enchanted with so they can help Miss Bell and hopefully give us insight on who the attacker was."

"Alright, Professor," they spoke in unison before they filed out of the room. Neither Harry nor Hermione spoke as they made their way to the portrait of the Fat Lady. She looked at the two of them, and tusked.

"Look at the both of you, you look like death incarnate!" she chided. They looked at each other, then at the portrait.

"Egyptian Warptooth," Harry stated. The Fat Lady stared at them a moment longer, then swung up to allow them into the common room. The common room was silent when they entered, whether it was because Zabini and Malfoy were sitting in the corner, or because news had travelled about Katie they did not know. Neither of them broke the silence. What could they say? That some unknown person bewitched Katie, to deliver a dark artefact to Dumbledore?

No, that wouldn't bode well. Instead, the two walked straight to their respective rooms and collapsed on their beds with exhaustion.

Author's Note- Alright! Well, here is a chapter six. I finally feel as if my story is taking a step in the right direction. Please Read and Review! It helps me write, and keeps me motivated. You guys are the only reason I didn't just scrap this when I lost all my data for this story! If you have any ideas feel free to write them down, who knows, they might be taken into consideration and added into the story, or used in a future story.

Again, I would like to apologise for the long delay in chapters! Please forgive me! If I am able, I will try to post a chapter every week, or every two weeks. But I will try!