Exposed Movements and Intelligence Analysis (II)

"He did it on purpose." Harry's voice was low and steady, but every word seemed squeezed through clenched teeth. "He knew what we were worried about. He knew—Ginny's condition wasn't accidental. There had to be a connection between him and what was happening to Ginny."

Hermione nodded, her fingers tapping unconsciously against her knee. "So we were on the right track. Slytherin, Malfoy, the Shadow Circle—those people were directly connected to what had been happening in the castle lately. We just hadn't found the link yet."

She stood and walked to the window. Moonlight fell across her face, illuminating every line of exhaustion with painful clarity.

"Do you remember? Malfoy mentioned the 'Ascension Ritual' at the end." Hermione's voice suddenly became very soft. "He said every Shadow Circle member had undergone that ritual. It could make you stronger, faster, make your reactions half a beat quicker than everyone else's."

She paused.

"If they really went through that kind of ritual, then when we turned into Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy—in their eyes, we were just magical signatures with the right appearance. Malfoy didn't need to expose us, because he could tell at a glance—the people standing before him were fakes."

"Then why did he tell us?" Ron asked.

"Because he wanted us to know." Harry rubbed his face hard, feeling his features finally settle completely back into place.

He put on his glasses, and the world came back into focus. "He wanted us to know—Snape and Dumbledore had no time to deal with us, and Professor McGonagall only believed evidence. There was no one we could turn to. He could stand by and watch, see what we'd do."

"Right." Hermione nodded. "So now he was fishing. He'd scattered the bait—Snape was gone, Dumbledore was gone, there were clues about 'Voldemort' in