The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy

Chapter 30: The Battle of Hogwarts

Hermione had been straining at the limitations of Pettigrew's spell for a quarter of an hour when, with no warning, her body was released.

She tottered to her feet with Narcissa beside her, knowing Wormtail must be close. Any moment he would burst through the door of the Headmaster's office, Bellatrix or Snape in tow. She lurched to the mantel, but there was no Floo Powder there, no chance for escape.

Hermione turned toward the door and braced herself.

But Pettigrew did not emerge. And if he was not within range to perform the counter-charm, there was only one reason the spell would have broken.

"He is dead, then," Narcissa said. Fear made her voice hoarse.

Hermione bit her lip. What was happening in the castle that Pettigrew had been killed? Had a fight broken out? None of the students would know that Draco was working with the Order. What if he'd been separated from Harry and Ron and discovered, the Dark Mark still burned upon his arm?

Worse, what if Pettigrew had led Snape and Bellatrix to the Chamber? A terrible image burst clear into Hermione's mind: Draco and Ron lying dead upon the floor beside the skeleton of a Basilisk, Harry dragged away to Voldemort.

Hermione hurried to the heavy oaken door to examine the lock. A quick check confirmed her suspicions: there was no manual control. It required magic to open, and they were wandless. "We need a key."

They spent long minutes ransacking Snape's desk and bookshelves but found nothing. Hermione was beginning to consider the merits of using the desk itself as a battering ram when Narcissa threw open a cabinet to reveal shelves of potions.

They sorted through the bottles for a while before Hermione's eyes lit on a phial filled with phosphorescent green fluid, whose bubbles were moving in the unique zigzags she'd read about in Advanced Potion Making. "Combustible Concoction," she said sharply, pointing.

Narcissa swept up the phial without question, and they both went for the door. Narcissa allowed a single drop to fall onto the doorknob before darting out of the way.

A sound like a small, muffled cannon, a shockwave reverberated through the air, and with a puff of billowing purple smoke, the door swung open, a pumpkin-sized hole where the handle had been.

"The Chamber," said Narcissa. "Where is it?"

"The entrance is in the girls' bathroom on the second floor," said Hermione, "but we have to find wands first. If Snape and Bellatrix—"

"My sister believes me loyal. That is all the advantage I need." Narcissa swept toward the door, the Combustible Concoction still clasped in her hand.

She paused for one moment to look back at Hermione. She hardly looked like Narcissa Malfoy anymore; the haughtiness had been siphoned out. She looked as though she were sleepwalking through a nightmare, eyes fixed but oddly vacant. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end managed no more than a nod. Then she was gone.

Hermione limped back to the cabinet to look through the potions bottles, her muscles still aching. All were unlabelled. Only some were recognisable to her, and of these, she couldn't think of a single one that might be any use against an armed Bellatrix or Snape. She swept up an Illumination Elixir, staring despairingly into the glowing fluid. I'm going to get myself killed, she thought. And she would be no help to Draco, Harry, or Ron if she threw herself into a combat situation without sufficient protection. She needed a wand, but where to find one?

Hardly had the question formed when the answer followed. She stuffed the bottle into her pocket and sprinted for the door. Surely the Room of Hidden Things would be packed with lost and forgotten wands.