Sacrarium Ignis

Seeking Draco Malfoy

Hermione's left eye had been twitching relentlessly for the past two hours as she mindlessly scrolled through the never-ending abyss of Woogle tabs. Once a promising hub for all things wizard and wizardry, the site had devolved into a breeding ground for absurd articles and senseless gossip.

Perhaps Hermione was losing her grip on reality, too, as she consumed every snippet that mentioned Malfoy. Ever since the echo of the howler had dissipated into thin air, she had become fixated on him, painstakingly documenting every piece of information she could find. She's Hermione Granger, she's done research with promising answers in less time.

Taking a swig straight from the fire whisky bottle, Hermione forcefully rearranged the clippings of the Daily Prophet, a subscription she had ignored for years. Saving the world as a teenager apparently came with the unwanted perk of a lifetime supply of things she didn't care for, including those tiresome newspapers. The latest edition is now papery thin from her incessant folding and unfolding.

"Honestly," Hermione snorted, her voice laced with frustration. "Who cares about the thrice-renovated Malfoy Manor? It's all pompous nonsense. What happened to real journalism? Why would anyone be interested in the brand of malt he drinks?" Muttering to herself, she crumpled the used parchment, discarding it in favor of a fresh sheet listing all the places where she might encounter Malfoy.

She had to end whatever game he played, especially after that last howler. Hastily scribbling "NO GO" in bold letters next to Malfoy Manor, she busied herself with discovering his motives firsthand rather than speculating. Hermione pushed aside any personal emotions she had regarding the situation. She had to approach this with intelligence and diplomacy, avoiding any entanglement of her own feelings.

Her parchment read as follows:

Malfoy Manor NO GO

Events
Ministry Gala
Hogwarts Anniversary (this isn't for another few months)

Workplace
Has several branches around the Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley

Regular at these places(these are rumors, might not be true)
Bones Appetit (Susan Bone's Restaurant)
Pan Park (Pansy's Interior and Project Management Company) I could probably just ask Pansy about this
Synt Street (the newly opened magical street for all things...adult (Cho and Ginny have been inviting me here for a new hangout place, might be time to actually see it)
The Public Library Notts

Refusing to believe anything that bug-eyed lady said, especially after the torment she caused during their school days and the intrusive images that emerged from the Triwizard Tournament, Hermione found herself drawn to the writing allure of Rita Skeeter. Despite her reservations, she couldn't resist devouring every detail about Malfoy now that she knew the identity of her mystery howler sender.

An idea raced through Hermione's mind. "I should owl Ginny or maybe Pansy, but the owl would take forever to reach both houses. Ron and Harry? Not the best idea," she groaned, realizing she had no choice but to turn to her friends for help.

Hurriedly grabbing her robes and bag, she called out to her roommate, absentmindedly adding a few kibbles to Crooks' food. "Crooks?" she called, but no plump, orange feline was in sight.

"Fine, then," she exclaimed in exasperation, throwing her hands up in defeat. Her gaze wandered from the empty living room to the rough texture of the floor powder near the fireplace. With determination in her voice, she enunciated, "Potter Residence."