The day after Draco's bizarre and nerve-wracking visit Hermione felt encouraged enough by how she felt to leave the safety of her bedroom. House-elves continued to bring her food, but Rodolphus hadn't come back to check on her after the first time he slipped into her room as she pretended to be asleep. She knew that she was wasting valuable time hiding in her room. The next few steps she made had to be daring, calculated, smart. There was no longer any room for error. One mistake could very well end in her death.