Hermione thought for a moment, then asked, "What do you think he's doing? Have there been any other suspicious signs?"
"Well..." Harry frowned. "I haven't actually seen him doing anything myself. The curfew has suddenly become much stricter lately. Several times, I tried to follow Malfoy under the Invisibility Cloak, but Tierra caught me every time."
As he said this, Harry flushed slightly in embarrassment.
"But I can sense that his movements have been unusual. And several times, I happened to see him talking to someone. Whenever I heard Malfoy speaking secretly, I rushed over to see who it was, but I only saw Malfoy either talking to thin air or to a shadowy corner of Hogwarts. Still, from what I overheard, they seemed to be discussing something strange—something about stealing something."
"Stealing something!?" Hermione shot to her feet, completely forgetting the Latovian Insectoids material she had been memorizing.
"Hermione, you know what's inside the Room of Requirement, right?" Harry asked gravely.
"The Philosopher's Stone!" Hermione said through gritted teeth. "Malfoy wants to steal the Philosopher's Stone!"
"That's exactly what I'm worried about, Hermione." Harry frowned, his expression solemn.
"We have to tell Tierra!" Hermione said.
"I did." Harry sounded helpless. "But Tierra told me not to worry. He said he would keep a close watch on Draco Malfoy."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Hermione, who had been tense just moments ago, lowered her head again and prepared to continue studying.
"But I suggested to Tierra that we put Malfoy in detention for the time being, and Tierra refused!" Harry said resentfully. "He said that without definite evidence, he couldn't punish Malfoy too severely."
"Oh, Harry," Hermione said. "Tierra said he could keep an eye on Malfoy. That should be enough."
"I know, Hermione, but I'm really worried." Harry clenched