Harry Potter 06 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

to know what he’s doing …’
    ‘Yeah, that is weird,’ said Harry, frowning. ‘I heard him telling Crabbe it wasn’t Crabbe’s business what he was doing … so what’s he telling all these … all these …’
    Harry’s voice tailed away; he was staring at the fire.
    ‘God, I’ve been stupid,’ he said quietly. ‘It’s obvious, isn’t it? There was a great vat of it down in the dungeon … he could’ve nicked some any time during that lesson …’
    ‘Nicked what?’ said Ron.
    ‘Polyjuice Potion. He stole some of the Polyjuice Potion Slughorn showed us in our first Potions lesson … there aren’t a whole variety of students standing guard for Malfoy … it’s just Crabbe and Goyle as usual … yeah, it all fits!’ said Harry, jumping up and starting to pace in front of the fire. ‘They’re stupid enough to do what they’re told even if he won’t tell them what he’s up to … but he doesn’t want them to be seen lurking around outside the Room of Requirement, so he’s got them taking Polyjuice to make them look like other people … those two girls I saw him with when he missed Quidditch – ha! Crabbe and Goyle!’
    ‘Do you mean to say,’ said Hermione in a hushed voice, ‘that that little girl whose scales I repaired –?’
    ‘Yeah, of course!’ said Harry loudly, staring at her. ‘Of course! Malfoy must’ve been inside the Room at the time, so she – what am I talking about? – he dropped the scales to tell Malfoy not to come out, because there was someone there! And there was that girl who dropped the toad-spawn, too! We’ve been walking past him all the time and not realising it!’
    ‘He’s got Crabbe and Goyle transforming into girls?’ guffawed Ron. ‘Blimey … no wonder they don’t look too happy these days … I’m surprised they don’t tell him to stuff it …’
    ‘Well, they wouldn’t, would they, if he’s shown them his Dark Mark,’ said Harry.
    ‘Hmmm … the Dark Mark we don’t know exists,’ said Hermione sceptically, rolling up Ron’s dried essay before it could come to any more harm and handing it to him.
    ‘We’ll see,’ said Harry confidently.
    ‘Yes, we will,’ Hermione said, getting to her feet and stretching. ‘But, Harry, before you get all excited, I still don’t think you’ll be able to get into the Room of Requirement without knowing what’s there first. And I don’t think you should forget,’ she heaved her bag on to her shoulder and gave him a very serious look, ‘that what you’re supposed to be concentrating on is getting that memory from Slughorn. Goodnight.’
    Harry watched her go, feeling slightly disgruntled. Once the door to the girls’ dormitories had closed behind her he rounded on Ron.
    ‘What d’you think?’
    ‘Wish I could Disapparate like a house-elf,’ said Ron, staring at the spot where Dobby had vanished. ‘I’d have that Apparition test in the bag.’
    Harry did not sleep well that night. He lay awake for what felt like hours, wondering how Malfoy was using the Room of Requirement and what he, Harry, would see when he went in there the following day, for whatever Hermione said, Harry was sure that if Malfoy had been able to see the Headquarters of the DA, he would be able to see Malfoy’s … what could it be? A meeting place? A hideout? A storeroom? A workshop? Harry’s mind worked feverishly and his dreams, when he finally fell asleep, were broken and disturbed by images of Malfoy, who turned into Slughorn, who turned into Snape …
    Harry was in a state of great anticipation over breakfast the following morning; he had a free period before Defence Against the Dark Arts and was determined to spend it trying to get into the Room of Requirement. Hermione was rather ostentatiously showing no interest in his whispered plans for forcing entry into the Room, which irritated Harry, because he thought she might be a lot of help if she wanted to.
    ‘Look,’ he said quietly, leaning forwards and putting a hand on the Daily Prophet , which she had just removed from a post owl, to stop her opening it and vanishing behind it. ‘I haven’t forgotten about Slughorn, but I haven’t got a clue how to get that memory off him, and until I get a brainwave why shouldn’t I find out what Malfoy’s doing?’
    ‘I’ve already told you, you need to persuade Slughorn,’ said Hermione. ‘It’s not a question of tricking him or bewitching him, or Dumbledore could have done it in a second. Instead of