The doors to the Great Hall swung open, then, and Regulus raised his head. He hadn't expected to see Hermione Granger, stuffing a book into the bag at her side and looking for all the world as if her presence was nothing unusual. She had been conspicuously absent from all meals in the Great Hall for weeks. He and Snape raised their eyebrows at one another, acknowledging their mutual interest. A peek at the other Slytherins showed that they weren't the only ones who were intrigued.