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Harry eagerly awaited their next session in the cave, but took great care to avoid lengthy contact with Hermione in public. They neither looked at each other nor addressed each other as they passed one another in the hallways. In the rare moments they crossed paths alone, only a curt head nod was given, wary of anyone potential Houses watching.

Harry had dispatched Zacharias from Hufflepuff in less than a minute and honestly, it probably should have been quicker. So elated he was with this seemingly omniscient knowledge of Smith's behavior, he was off-target with his close quarters spell, recovering ever so slightly as Smith tried to use a Flipendo in vain.

Meanwhile, Tracey had talked to a few people from other Houses. Harry had no doubt of her ability to procure information. Trained by years of socialites in the Pureblood build, Tracey could pluck every morsel of information while smiling and laughing in their face. It was a strangely unique talent that gave her the illusion of being congenial while she secretly learned everything she could from a person. She didn't let him down in this regard.

"There were seven students from the other Houses that weren't in their dormitories that night. Padma Patil was complaining about Transfiguration with Mandy and they both crossed paths with Anthony Goldstein, who was leaving the Common Room. Apparently, Goldstein was looking for Michael Corner, who was also out that night," Tracey explained, seated next to the Great Lake.

For a moment, Harry didn't answer as he stared down at the murky water. Somewhere below the depths of the lake was the cave and its translucent ceiling. Harry resolved to ask Hermione how to access the cave by himself, curious as to how the view was in the middle of the day with the sun streaming through the water. Just as magnificent as it was as night he hoped.

"What about other years? Were there anyone from other years out at that time?" Harry asked.

"It's a lot harder to talk to the older kids. They'd think it was weird if I started poking around," Tracey cautioned.

"It's also rather unlikely for someone in another year to do that to me. They don't know me well enough. It felt very...personal. Blaise, did you find out anything?"

"Looks like my money is drying up on the First Years. They're demanding a few more Sickles, the little assholes. I'll try to tap on a few more people, but I think we run the risk of raising a flag if we keep on hammering away at sources." Blaise ran a hand along his shaved head, his dark eyes looking at the Hogwarts castle wistfully.

Blaise hated the lake.

"You're right. Ease off for now. We have plenty of time to find them."

"How about you, Harry?" Tracey asked, turning to him with her curious blue eyes. "You get anything from Bones?"

Harry shook his head, his hair falling onto his glasses. "I haven't heard anything from Susan. I'm also pretty convinced that I can ask Lovegood sometimes. She still owes me for that Davies debacle."

"Now all we need is someone from Gryffindor," Tracey mused, "Do you know any potentials from that stupid House?"

Granger.

"No," Harry answered.

"They're significantly harder to pay off," Blaise complained, unused to not getting his way. "It's going to take a lot of work to get someone to talk from Gryffindor."

"It can be done," Harry said quietly.

"Maybe, but I did hear something from Lavender. That chatty bimbo can never keep her mouth shut." Leaning forward, Tracey eagerly spoke the next few sentences, "Apparently, Weasley and Seamus were out that night. The catch is that they weren't the only ones out from Gryffindor tower that night. Granger and Longbottom of all people were too!"

Neville helps.

Harry couldn't say anything, ruminating over Hermione's words. To what extent did Longbottom help her? Were the two's disappearance that night in any way related? He dismissed the idea that Longbottom was one of his attackers. The boy was too feeble to do such a thing. Weasley and Finnigan, on the other hand, were as capable as Finch-Fletchley. Still, there was an odd ring to that combination of names. Did they all really hate him so much?

"Longbottom? No way," Blaise scoffed at the mere idea.

"Stranger things have happened." Tracey pointed out.

"I wouldn't count on something that strange. Let's rule Longbottom out of that. Granger too."

"Why Granger?" Tracey frowned.

"Granger has no need to beat him up, the Mudblood already got him good the first time." Blaise guffawed.

"More or less," Harry said in a clipped tone. "That leaves all these other people..."

Summoning a parchment, Harry placed it against his raised thigh and scribbled the names down on it.

Justin Finch-Fletchley (confirmed)

Anthony Goldstein

Michael Corner

Ron Weasley

Seamus Finnigan

"From Slytherin?" Harry asked quietly.

Tracey shifted uncomfortably next to him, smoothing out her skirt as she parsed a glance around her, mindful of any wandering ears. They were more or less isolated, no one within immediate earshot of their spot by the lake.

"I didn't hear anyone leave the dormitory," Blaise answered.

"Doesn't rule out anything though."

Frustrated, Harry crumpled the paper and threw it in the lake, watching it dissolve in the water. They were getting nowhere, compiling list of names that had no reasonable process of elimination. Each suspect was as susceptible as the last and there was very little they could glean from simply asking around. They needed something more direct.

"We have to spook Finch-Fletchley. Make him meet up with his pals," Harry mused.

"But how do we do that?" Tracey sat up.

"Give him something to think about..."

* * * * * *

Harry beat Hermione to the cave this time, waiting impatiently for her outside the entrance. Succesfully evading detection from the Slytherin Common Room, Harry remained in the shadows until Granger approached the wall cautiously. He lightly tapped against the wall, using a signal they had agreed upon earlier. Granger stopped, looking for him and nodded at Harry when he emerged from the shadows.

"Come on. I don't want to stay out too late tonight," she said.

Is she ever not about business? Harry smiled to himself as he trailed behind her into the secret entrance to the cave. Tonight, it was his turn to teach her what he knew about large movement strategies, but he had something different in mind than her rather straightforward statistical approach.

They reached the atrium in time and Harry paused to marvel at the sight again. The aquatic life above him was more active tonight, the Giant Squid more prominent in the background as well as a few Mermen and Mermaids curiously looking at them through the glass.

"The glass must be magically protected, the Mermaids look at him but don't bother trying to break it. It's not like I give them an excuse to do anything anyways," Hermione explained, reading his thoughts.

"It's just amazing."

Hermione looked up, crossing her arms and smiling idly at the sight. "I guess it is. I've been here so many times that I forget to appreciate the view sometimes."

Smiling cheekily at her, he replied, "And what a view it is? Let's get started, shall we?"

"Okay." Hermione dropped her bag on the lone table in the giant room and rolled up her sleeves.

"Alright. Give me your wand."

Hermione blinked in confusion, her face impassively guarded. "Excuse me?"

"Your wand, give it to me."

It was always a hostility to ask a wizard for their wand, especially when said wizard was about to engage in some sort of dueling. Hermione was no different, despite her Muggle upbringing, and she gave her wand to Harry begrudgingly, eying his own suspiciously. Harry plucked the wand out of her hand, placing it on the table and instructed her to move away.

"What is this, Harry?" she asked suspiciously.

"Tonight's lesson: Adaptation. Stupefy!"

Luckily, Hermione's natural instincts kicked in at his poorly aimed spell and she rolled to avoid the spell beam. Coming to her feet, she was furious and Harry held back a laugh at her expression. He didn't know the full quote about a woman scorned, but he was sure it would be apt at this moment.

"Harry, what are you -"

"Expelliarmus!"

It was a useless spell in reality as she had no wand to be disarmed from, but it could still throw her back with a concussive force. She must have been more prepared this time, a veteran of several duels as she dodged again.

"42% right?" Harry preemptively asked, cutting off her tirade.

"What?"

"My Expelliarmus is used 42% of the time according to you."

"Yes! 42% Expelliarmus, 37% Stupefy, 11% Bombarda. You don't think I know that? I've studied the scouting report more times than you could forget." She reeled the numbers off the top of her head expertly, managing to throw in a good dose of incredulity in her statements.

"So smart, aren't you? It's your preparedness that gives you the advantage. Vinka!"

She naturally dived, obviously unsure of the nature of the spell. Vinka was a low level spell originating in Bulgaria. It wasn't regularly taught in the Hogwarts curriculum, but it was mostly harmless. It was a triggered tripping spell, affecting a small area that was cast upon.

But Hermione didn't know this.

She cast her gaze bewilderedly around, trying to determine the effects of the spell, but she was obviously unnerved. It was just one spell, but Harry's theory seemed sound. Hermione, with her steadfastly ruthless preparation, had a gap that correlated directly with her inability to control a situation. Confronted with something she didn't know, she would struggle, much like the unpredictable nature of House matches.

"What was that spe -"

"Larocia!"

Larocia was a low level spell taught in American schools. Harry had to look it up the previous night and found exactly what he was looking for. Larocia was a large magical net, the magical tangle visible to the normal eye. It was easily dispelled, different from normal Binding curse in that it was a Charm instead of a Transfiguration.

But Hermione didn't know this.

She hesitated, trying to identify the spell and managed to avoid the brunt of it, but the magical net coiled around her ankle, tripping her slightly and bringing her closer to the Vinka area trigger. She knelt down, trying to peel off the magical net with her hand but yelped as the magic stung her. It could only be dispelled with a wand.

"Harry, this is unfair! Give me my wand so I can fight you!"

"Stupefy!"

Again, she dodged this one easily, even hampered with the magical net around her ankle. She was obviously comfortable adjusting to spells she knew, but had moments of hesitation when confronted with unknown curses. Yet, that would be true of almost anyone. A true test would be something that required a little more critical thought. He summoned her wand and tracked her eyes as she unconsciously leaned forward, eager to retrieve it. Instead of tossing it to her, however, he threw it not five feet from him on the ground. She discontentedly shifted on the balls of her feet, acutely aware of how close it was to him.

He remained silent, waiting for her to make the first move and she followed the plan. Stumbling forward, Hermione made a direct line for her wand.

"Venka!" He cast the spell close to her wand as a precaution then turned to her. "Poradio!

She was unable to avoid this spell, a French disorientation charm that made her sway on her feet. Harry allowed her a moment of reprieve, not really interested in besting her in a duel where she had no wand. Instead, he was looking for something else, a moment of ingenuity.

"Finite! Stupefy!" Simultaneously releasing her from the disorientation charm and shooting the stunner at her, Harry watched as she nimbly dodged the spell confidently, not three feet from her wand. Unfortunately for her, the Venka spell activated as she tripped, falling flat on her face. Her arm reached, but then Harry summoned her wand again and threw it in a different direction, a couple more feet further away.

"Stop playing games, Potter!"

"Isn't this all just a game?" he taunted.

She scrambled towards her wand again and Harry was disappointed she didn't take the action he wanted her to take. Instead, she zigged and zagged, completely ignoring the magical net on her ankle as she desperately fought to get her wand. Harry sighed in frustration as he casted a few more trapping spells, watching as she stumbled trying to reach her wand. Summoning her wand again, he threw it somewhere else.

"Come on, Granger!"

She huffed and glared, determined to reach her wand and bypassed another opportunity as she tried to time the Venka curse again. It was unfair what he was he doing, but that wasn't the point of this exercise. By the time she would reach her wand, she would be exhausted anyway. It baffled him that someone so obviously genius couldn't see the alternate means of victory, but that was her problem. She struggled to think outside the box because she was so dominant within the box.

After the sixth or seventh time he summoned her wand away, she threw her hands in frustration and stopped chasing her tail.

"What's the point of this, Potter?! I get it, you can beat me when I don't have my wand. Bravo!"

"Did you ever consider attacking me?"

"I am attacking you!"

Harry sighed as he flicked her wand away again, Granger scurrying after it like a fingerless rodent. Her resilience surprised him; he was sure she would give up after the first few times, but she seemed to think there was some game in retrieving her wand as she started timing her steps and taking fake jab steps to see if he would summon it away.

Of course, that wasn't the point of the exercise.

She finally stopped, panting from overexertion as she bent over and put her hands on her knees, her bushy hair hanging below her in a tangled mess.

"I've had enough."

"Finally," Harry muttered. "Did you ever think of physically attacking me?"

She shook her head. "Why would I do that? Was the whole point of this to increase my hand to hand combat skills? I already know who's going to be the winner of that battle."

"No, the whole point of this was for you to assess all of your options. You were so obsessed about getting your wand and trying to beat me that you didn't see the obvious solution. Not only that, but you clam up against spells you don't know."

"Everyone would clam up against spells they don't know!" She air quoted the words with more than a tinge of sarcasm in her voice.

"Hermione, you need to see everything. You need to think outside the box. You need to lose that singular focus to have things go your way. Things aren't always going to go the way you neatly plan them in your head. Do you understand that?"

She huffed, clearly not used to being told that she was wrong or that she didn't do something right. But she didn't rebut his claim and Harry knew that she was aware of this problem of planned perfection. In large House matches, things were out of your control. Your fellow mates were likely to ignore you or perform their own way. Even in the best of circumstances, with everyone listening to you, there was still the added uncertainty of not only the environment but the larger scale movements of the other House.

Hermione's problem was that when things didn't go exactly as she planned it, she struggled to create an immediate back-up. It wasn't so much having a Plan B, but more of an ever changing Plan, ready to adjust and compensate at any time.

"How do you do it then?" she asked.

"Assume you know nothing."

Again, Hermione wrinkled her nose, unused to being told to forget her vast expanse of knowledge. But that was the key to confronting unknown situations. Assume nothing and adjust accordingly. Once a certain bias was put into place, there were only so many permutations of victory that could be envisioned.

"Is there anything else for tonight?" she asked haughtily.

"No." Harry levitated her wand back to her. "I think that was enough embarrassment for one night."

She grasped the piece of wood gratefully, returning to the lone table in the cave and plopping down in the chair unceremoniously. Calmly placing the wand on the table, she procured a notebook from her bag and proceeded to write in it. Harry snorted as he pulled up the chair opposite from her, looking up through the glass ceiling to watch the murky depths above.

The scratching of quill against parchment, combined with the sway of the seaweed, lulled Harry into a contemplative state as he continued to arch his neck upwards. There was much to be learned from Granger, that much was for certain. Her studious nature bordered on obsessive and she was his equal when it came to reviewing previous duels and battles. Her intellect was superior to his, of that he didn't doubt, but there was a certain lack of creativity to her skill set. She saw things in cold, hard data and facts and sometimes missed the forest from the trees.

"Tell me something about yourself, Harry," she said, interrupting his musings.

"What do you mean?"

She spared a glance between her writings and said, "You're an interesting character, don't you know? I've read all these things in books about your life and hear all these things about Harry, the dangerous Slytherin, but....you're rather...straightforward."

"You don't strike me as the type to believe all of these second-hand sources."

"Why do you think I'm trying to get the word from the Hippogriff's mouth?"

Harry laughed at the turn of phrase. "You already know about me, as I'm sure the history books have told. What about you? I know nothing about you."

"What's there to know?" She shrugged.

Harry leaned forward and placed his chin on the cupping of his hands. "Let's see if I can get this right. Judging by the amount of studying you do, your parents placed a high priority on education. Seeing as how you use a rigorous and scientific study method, your parents were probably educators, maybe even professors? You're distrustful, as no one can ever really say you have a sunny demeanor, but you're also keenly aware of independent data and facts. That's why you're not so hostile to me. You've seen that I'm not the big bad Slytherin that everyone in Gryffindor makes me out to be. Still, you were probably picked on as a child. That's why you're so distrustful of everyone in general, even of people in Gryffindor. You wear your intelligence as a shield, trying to place yourself above the fray by accumulating as much knowledge as possible. You're awkward around other girls, evidenced by the fact that you never seem to be around the Brown or Patil girl. You probably don't have sisters since you're not seeking out female friends and you don't strike me as the kind of person that takes on friends easily, so only child? How close am I?"

He didn't know how she would take the breakdown of her behavior. Would she be offended? Outraged? Instead, she smiled, the left side of her lips inching higher in a condescending smirk.

"My parents are dentists."

"Dentists?" Harry asked incredulously. "Bollocks that. I've always wondered how people decide to go into dentistry."

She closed her book carefully, marking the page by folding down a corner as she laid her quill on top of it. Folding her hands over the whole set, she returned fire.

"Your reluctance to divulge anything about yourself tells me that you're also don't trust people easily. You dodge it easily, and lying comes natural to you. Why should I be surprised? You're a Slytherin after all. But there's a reason you learned to lie so well. Perhaps you didn't tell your guardians everything? Perhaps you didn't tell your Muggle schoolmates everything either? You felt early on that you didn't belong and that's why you've learned to lie so well. You do it to assimilate as you think you stand out, not least of all because of the scar on your forehead. It became even more pronounced when you came here and despite the bevy of Slytherins that follow you in battle, you regularly confide in only two: Zabini and Davis. Above all else, you want to be treated equally but at the same time, you want to be recognized. That's why you work so hard with these duels and battles. You don't know want to be known as the Boy-Who-Lived as you think thats undeserved. You want to be the Boy-Who-Won."

"Impressive, to say the least."

"You're not the only one who people watches, Potter."

"And how long have you been watching me?"

She stood up and placed her belongings back in her bag, a clear signal that their conversation was finished. Yet, Harry caught a hint of a smile on her face as she said, "For a while."

* * * * *

Justin Finch-Fletchley said good-bye to Susan as he left the library, knackered from another night of Transfiguration studies. He swore that McGonagll did it just to spite them, regularly slamming them with homework just as another round of House matches were coming up. Hufflepuff comfortably 2nd behind Slytherin of all Houses with Gryffindor in 3rd and Ravenclaw trailing the rest. It would be another grueling week and he hoped that they wouldn't draw Slytherin.

He walked quickly, eager to return to his dormitory and fall asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. The nights were getting colder as they descended into the winter months and Justin had to pull his robe around him tighter as his pace quickened. A shrill wind blew through the cavernous hallways, whistling along his ears.

Justin froze as he heard a noise, a scuffle of feet. His hand gripping his wand tightly, Justin twirled around and shielded his eyes from the bright light in his face.

"Calm yourself, Mr. Finch-Fletchley," said the raspy voice.

"Professor Lupin!" Justin exclaimed breathlessly. "I thought you were..."

"...not myself, obviously," Lupin replied dryly, "It's almost curfew, Justin. Get to your Common Room."

Justin looked at the shabbily dressed professor and nodded, lowering his wand and tucking it into his robes again. The fear of a different type of confrontation ebbed away as he resumed the last leg of his journey back to the Hufflepuff Common Room. Their Common Room was in a little nook near the kitchens, leading to a circular basement that housed the residents of Helga Hufflepuff's House. The subterranean level made it closer to the Slytherin Common Room compared to other Houses, a fact Justin readily used to his advantage.

Unfortunately, the Slytherins knew this too.

The ropes converged around his ankles and he toppled quickly. Reflexively pulling out his wand, Justin yelped as his wand was deftly disarmed. He heaved his chest, prepared to scream but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. Another spell hit him from the dark as his arms snapped against his body.

Petrificus Totalus, he thought. There he was, silenced and frozen without his wand and it only took a few more moments until they blindfolded him, removing him of every sense but his hearing. There were no words, just a levitation spell and a shuffle of feet as they moved him. His bowels were actively moving and Justin feared that the retaliation would be brutal. It had to be, it just had to be...

He felt his back touch something smooth but he couldn't tell what it was, the blindfold still incapacitating him. Experimentally, he tried to wriggle his arms, but they were still frozen against his body. Listening closely, he could hear the distant shuffling of feet and the footsteps eventually faded away in the background. What was he doing? Was he working alone?

Suddenly, Justin regretted the mess he had suddenly inherited.

The wait was indomitably aggravating as he steeled himself for the punishment they would dole out, but nothing came. There was only the whistling silence of the wind and the murmurs from the edge of the castle. If he could speak, only a whimper would escape. His breathing became labored, deep gasps that he hoped would make him sympathetic. Merlin only knew what he would do.

But nothing came.

And so Justin waited for hours on end, unable to sleep as he awaited the inevitable retaliation. Yet, it was the painful silence and the prolonged fear of the unknown that made his stomach turn over and over. After quite some time, it was obvious they had left him alone. The only question was - where was he?

* * * * *

Susan awoke early as usual, characteristically ten minutes ahead of her dorm mates. She liked beating the morning rush for breakfast and this morning was no different. Quickly showering and fixing her auburn hair, Susan made her way out of the Hufflepuff Basement and marched up the stairs to the Great Hall, only to find a cluster of students blocking her way.

"What's going on?" Susan asked Padma Patil.

Padma, rarely rendered speechless, stuttered, "Uh...look..."

She pointed a manicured finger towards the Hufflepuff table and Susan covered her mouth in shock and surprise. There, on the table, was Justin Finch-Fletchley. His face was painted with little lines and squiggles and food was gathered around him like some sort of sacrificial offering. Judging by his immobility, Justin was unable to move from the table. Just then, the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws entered from the other end of the Great Hall and spotted the strange predicament.

At first, it was just a spare chuckle but the laughter grew at the sight of the strange table set. Soon, even some of the Hufflepuffs that were slowly gathering laughed at Justin. It was only after Professor Lupin arrived and removed the spells that Justin hopped up, sprinting out of the Great Hall with reckless abandon.

As he passed her, Susan noted that his expression was more terrified than embarrassed and that his eyes were wide and wild. He brushed past her, stumbling as he did and turned the corner only to fall flat on his arse. The Slytherin contingent had arrived and Justin had accidentally ran into Harry Potter.

Potter pulled back at the sight of the figurines drawn on Justin's face and queried, "What happened to you?"

Justin's face paled even more as Malfoy and some other Slytherins roared in vacuous laughter. Justin gulped, not saying a word as he kept his eyes on Potter. He was seemingly frozen, unable to move under the gaze of the Boy-Who-Lived. It was only after Zach gave him a nudge did the boy finally move.

"Nice face, Finch-Fletchley!" Malfoy yelled after him as Justin stumbled to the Hufflepuff Basement.

Susan looked up to find Potter staring at her with just the barest hint of amusement. Her heart raced, a strange nervousness suddenly filling her pipes. There was something about the glint in his eyes and the tiny smirk on the edge of his lips.

"Guess you have to be careful these days, right Bones?" Harry rhetorically asked.

Careful indeed.

She about faced, turning towards the Hufflepuff table and unable to shake the sheer terror from Justin's face.

* * * * *

A/N: Estimate update time: 9 days

There are a few key points hinted at in this chapter that are relatively low-key. Points to the person who can spot the foreshadowing. There are some obvious influences to this chapter from other stories. Points again to the other works referenced in this chapter. Again, thank you all for the continued support and I appreciate all your kind words as well as your criticism and reviews.

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