Now, all that happened the previous night slowly found its place in the puzzle of Hermione’s mind. Zabini had come to warn the High Reeve of the visit so they could have the time to get ready, so he could warn Hermione to act properly, otherwise her un-mudblood-like behavior might’ve caused Crabbe and Pucey to get suspicious. Zabini probably also told him that they were bringing Pansy with them—fake Pansy. The High Reeve must’ve expected that his fellow Death Eaters will want to see a spectacle of his notorious power and merciless techniques... To keep the act up, he made sure they saw him kill and torture the girl – Hermione didn’t want to think who that might’ve been, she was just glad it wasn’t Pansy – and that’s how he made sure the real Pansy would be finally left in peace.