She followed around the corner as he made for his bedroom door, huffing and stomping in his wake.

"You want a rule, Granger?" he yelled down the hallway, shoving open his bedroom door. "Don't throw yourself at my friends!"

"Fuck off, Malfoy!"

He glared at her and disappeared into his room, slamming the door behind him. She followed suit, marching into her bedroom, fuming with the fire in her blood.

She ripped off her heels, chucking them at the wall connecting their rooms, hoping he heard. Reaching up for the collar, her fingers pried open the clasp, and the metal fell away onto the floor —

A thin scrap of paper fluttering down with it.

Hermione stared at it, her entire body frozen at the sight.

A piece of parchment, torn off the edge of something, no wider than her little finger.

She bent down slowly, thinking of the way the girl with strawberry-blonde hair had squeezed underneath her metal collar. To slide a thin slice of paper beneath the gold.

Her shaking fingers reached for the scrap, turning it over. Her breath hitched.

A familiar handwriting from days at the Burrow spent giggling, notes passed back and forth about Harry and Ron and kisses and wishes. A hasty scribble in red lipstick that sent Hermione's mind reeling, her heart beating out of its cage.

How do I kill him? — GW

Chapter End Notes

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Chapter 18

Chapter Notes

Sorry for the later update! It's the Thanksgiving holiday in the States, and the betas and I were with family all week. Many thanks to SaintDionysus and raven_maiden .

TRIGGER WARNING: Some elements of gore/horror in this chapter. Mind your mental well-being please. See end notes for more detail.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Ginny.

Hermione stared down at the piece of paper between her fingertips.

Her bookshelves shuddered as a heavy tome pushed forward, opening to flashes of scarlet hair and mischievous eyes. Ginny was alive, and waiting for her help…

How do I kill him? — GW

Her handwriting. Her words. Her fire.

Hermione screwed her eyes shut. Either the strawberry-blonde girl knew Ginny, or someone with access to both girls had served as the go-between.

She took a shaky breath, stilling her trembling shelves. The note didn't seem like a ruse. Polyjuice Potion wouldn't allow someone to replicate Ginny's handwriting, and the note did fit with her theories about Cho and Charlotte. Girls were quietly revolting against the Great Order, using notes at the Lot parties to communicate. But Ginny had been locked away for over a month now.

A weight dropped in Hermione's stomach. How long had Ginny been waiting for her response? Weeks? Or were there other methods of communication that she wasn't aware of?