Кассандра Клэр: Draco Sinister

Draco looked furious. Harry put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"Nobody's eating anyone here," he said. "Can you tell us a bit more about this, um, other half that you've misplaced?"

The creature looked livid. "I did not misplace it! It was taken from me by force by an evil wizard, and hidden from me; I have sought everywhere and it is HERE!"

Harry was looking at the creature with his head cocked thoughtfully to one side. "You're a demon, aren't you?"

The creature looked shifty. "I am not," it said.

"Oh, yes you are," said Harry, gaining conviction. "We did demons last year in Defense Against the Dark Arts. I know how to banish them, too." He pointed at the creature with his hand. "Dispelle-"

"Nooooo!" the demon shouted, banging its fists into Draco's pillow like an angry toddler, and Harry broke off. "I tell you, it is mine! You have no right to keep it from me! Thousands of years I have searched-"

"Well, did you try looking under the sofa in HELL?" yelled Draco, who was looking fed up.

The demon made a low, mournful, growling noise. "I do not search as you mortals might," it said. "I sense what is mine; it calls out to me and I hear it. For a thousand years it has been silent. Then, again, I heard the call and was summoned. And now-" It broke off, and looked around fretfully. "Now it is silent again. But it was here, I am sure of it!"

Harry looked sideways at Draco. "You do know what it's looking for, don't you?" he whispered. "That sword-"

"Shush!" said Draco warningly, and turned back to the demon.

"There are no otherworldly or demonic objects in this room," he told it, which was true enough. "Unless you count Potter, I've always had my suspicions about him, but you're welcome to him if you want him."

The demon glanced at Harry without much interest. "The Potter boy is of no concern to me," he said.

"Hey!" yelled Harry, who was used to being the focal point of world events, and felt slighted. "Look," he said to the demon, "go on and have a look if you don't believe Draco that we haven't got any, um, demonic objects in here. You haven't, have you?" he hissed in Draco's ear.

Draco rolled his eyes.

But the demon, not waiting for further permission, had begun tearing through the room, overturning chairs, raking through the ashes in the fireplace, and ripping apart both boys' school bags before turning on Harry's trunk. Harry watched in shock while his personal possessions flew everywhere. Draco ducked as Harry's clothes flew over his head and hit the opposite wall.

Finding nothing in Harry's trunk, the demon turned its attention to Draco's, and repeated the exercise of tearing it apart. Both boys watching in resignation as it scattered Draco's clothes and books all over the floor. "You know," said Draco to Harry in an undertone, "I always figured demons for more of the attacking, mauling and killing type. This going through our stuff thing…it's sort of…tacky."

"I really agree," said Harry.

"You could banish it," said Draco hopefully.

"I think it's probably better to convince it we haven't got the thing, otherwise it'll just come back," said Harry. "It doesn't seem to be able to sense where it's 'other half' is any more. I hope," he added, thinking of Lupin.

"Fine," said Draco. "But if it tears up any of my clothes, it's out of here."

"This is all your fault," said Ron, glaring at Ginny across the table.

His blue eyes were blazing, and his red hair was sticking up in wild tufts just like Harry's. "How could you just leave her in the Leaky Cauldron with that- that-"

"That is not fair!" Ginny yelled back, her eyes flashing. "You didn't hear her, Ron! You weren't there! She wouldn't have let me stay, she as much as told me to go away and leave her alone!"

"It's midnight!" said Ron, who was looking both very angry and very worried. "Where is she?"

"I know," said Ginny, sitting down unhappily at the kitchen table, "I know, but Ron, please try to have some perspective. Maybe they just got to talking and lost track of time."

"She'd have sent an owl, or something. Hermione's not like that, she's-"

"Not like what?" said Hermione, coming in through the screen door and regarding them both curiously.

Ron and Ginny gaped at her. "Hermione," breathed Ron in relief.

"You're all right!"

"I told you she was fine," said Ginny, who was nevertheless extremely relieved to see her. She turned to Hermione. "You are all right, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm all right," said Hermione calmly. "Now, if you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to go upstairs for a moment. I'll be right back."

She turned, still very calm, and went up the stairs. Ron and Ginny watched her go with open mouths.

"Do you think she's upset about something?" asked Ginny, when she could find words.

"I don't think so," said Ron slowly, "She seems the opposite of upset.

Weirdly calm. Maybe you should go up and talk to her," he added, unhappily. "Girl talk."

Ginny shook her head. "She'd be much more likely to talk to you."

Ron sighed. "I guess you're right," he said, stood up, and made his way towards the stairs, where he was stopped in his tracks by the sight of Hermione, who was coming towards him carrying her small overnight bag. She walked right past him down the stairs and into the kitchen. Ron hurried after her.

"Hermione," he said, fighting a growing feeling of alarm, "are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine," said Hermione, who was walking across the kitchen now.

"I've just decided to spend a few days with Viktor, that's all."

"What?" exclaimed Ron and Ginny together.

"Hermione, you're not serious," said Ginny.

Hermione turned and looked at them. She looked small, pale and determined. Stray wisps of hair were coming out of her bun and curling around her face. "I am serious," she said. "Why shouldn't I go? Why shouldn't I do what I like?"

"Have you lost your mind?" said Ron.

"What about Harry?" protested Ginny.

Hermione shrugged. "He'll understand."

"He most decidedly will NOT understand," said Ron. "Hermione, sit down, please. Are you angry with Harry? Did he do something? Are you trying to get back at him? In which case, I beg you to get back at him some other way. Ginny, help me out."

"You could have an affair with Ron," suggested Ginny helpfully.

"That'd upset Harry."

"Thanks, Gin," said Ron, shooting her a look of death.

Hermione shook her head, looking at Ron with wide, slightly glassy brown eyes. "This has nothing to do with him," she said. "This is just something I have to do. Will you two calm down? I'll be back in a few days."

"A few…days?" said Ron faintly.

"Well, if you're just going to overreact like this, maybe I won't come back at all!" snapped Hermione, turned on her heel, and slammed open the screen door. She stalked outside. Ron and Ginny looked at each other in horror, then Ron leaped to his feet and followed Hermione out into the garden.

"Hermione!" he called. She was walking across the grass towards a tall, dark figure sitting astride a broomstick. With a feeling of intense foreboding, Ron broke into a run. "Hermione!" he called again, but without a backward glance, she climbed onto the broomstick, locked her arms around Krum's waist, Krum kicked off, and they were away, soaring into the air high above the Burrow. Ron threw his head back and watched as they shrank to a tiny speck over the treetops, and vanished.

"But Hermione hates to fly," he said numbly, still staring after them.

"She won't even fly with Harry."

"Guess she rethought her position on that," said Ginny dryly, from behind him.

"Something here is very, very wrong," said Ron, turning to look at his sister. "Get Pigwidgeon," he said. "We've got to send a letter right away. We need to contact Mum and Dad- — and Hermione's parents-"