The Start.
It was one minute to midnight when Hermione Granger slid open the portrait hole to the Gryffindor common room. She stepped out cautiously and looked around. The Fat Lady was asleep in her portrait, snoring loudly, and no one else was present. Hermione pushed her bushy auburn hair off of her face and stepped out into the hall. She paused for a moment, listening, and then let out her breath.
She took a few careful steps, tiptoeing and wishing that she had borrowed Harry's Invisibility cloak from him. It was better that she had not however. Harry would have demanded to know what she wanted with it, and she could never tell him the truth. Praying that no one would catch her, Hermione silently descended the stairs.
Hogwarts school was quiet. Everyone was asleep except Hermione and, presumably, Draco Malfoy, who had agreed to meet her in the Room of Requirement. Hermione blushed at the thought of Draco. It was crazy, her, sneaking out of her comfortable bed and safe dormitory to help him. Draco was her worst enemy and had been ever since her arrival at Hogwarts. Just thinking of the taunts and insults he had directed her way made her clench her fists.
Taking a deep breath Hermione forced herself to calm down. Draco had changed, almost overnight.
"The git," Hermione whispered to herself, affectionately. Draco had definitely changed. Practically at the moment of Voldemort's return Draco had informed his father that he was finished with Dark magic. No one knew why the sudden change of heart on his part. Hermione was mystified. Draco had every reason to be a dark wizard. He had been bred for it.
Half of the school suspected him of lying, although Hermione believed that Draco had been serious in rejecting life as Death Eater. He had been subjected to cruel taunts and abuses at the hands of his fellow Slytherin students, most of whom were loyal to Voldemort and had Death Eater parents. It had gotten so bad that Dumbledore had consented to giving Draco his own bedroom, as well as information on how to reach the Room of Requirement. Dumbledore knew nothing of Draco's plans, however.
Draco's father, Lucius Malfoy, and a band of Death Eaters, had sworn revenge on Draco. Lucius had promised Draco, via owl post, that he would kill Draco. Lucius was furious that Draco had walked away from a lifetime of privilege and power. He was also humiliated. Word had it that Voldemort blamed Lucius for the loss of yet another dark wizard.
The war was raging full force all around them but most of the students inside the safety of Hogwarts were oblivious to it. Those who had parents in the Order of the Phoenix, like Ron Weasley, knew exactly what the odds were and what the dangers were, but many were uninformed. They did not realize the extent to which Draco had gone to switch sides; this was a war, not a game.
Hermione had begged him to be honest with Dumbledore, but in his stubborn way Draco had refused. Hermione guessed it had a lot to do with pride. Draco, a pure blood wizard from an ancient and respected wizarding family, had never been taught to rely on others. Besides, he disliked Dumbledore, even though he no longer claimed allegiance to Voldemort. So the responsibility had fallen to Hermione to help Draco.
Immediately upon returning to school Hermione had begun the Polyjuice potion. Draco was protected within the walls of Hogwarts school, but Hermione wanted to take no chance. She knew from Harry's experience at the Triwizard Tournament how easy it was to set up a Portkey. If Voldemort or Lucius got Draco out of the Dumbledore's reach there would be no saving him.
Draco needed a disguise, something to get him past the band of Death Eaters that surrounded the castle, waiting for him to emerge. Once he was out of Britain he could easily disappear until everything blew over, or until Voldemort was finally defeated. Hermione had debated using other charms, or even Transfiguration, but such things were incredibly complicated, even for the most gifted student in school. And Draco, stubborn, irritating Draco, refused to request help from any teacher.
If only Snape were here, Hermione thought as she crept down the marble hall, warily watching the statues. It was an odd thought, given Hermione's incredible dislike for the arrogant teacher, but Snape was someone Draco would trust. He was also brilliant, Hermione admitted grudgingly. He could probably whip up a potion to disguise Draco forever. Hermione refused to experiment with anything stronger then Polyjuice. If she messed up on some of the stronger potions she was bound to kill Draco herself.
Hermione paused. She was standing before the door to the Room of Requirement. Nervously, she opened the door.
Draco was pacing back and forth, his hand clenched into fists. "You're late!"
"I'm sorry," Hermione said, sarcastically. She took a deep, calming breath. "I had to wait for Lavender Brown to fall asleep."
Draco nodded and looked at the bubbling cauldron that contained the nearly completed Polyjuice potion. "That's the stuff?"
"That's it." Hermione looked around the room. True to form, it provided everything they needed. Potion ingredients, even more rare and expensive then those in Snape's private stores, filled every cabinet. There were rows of pewter cauldrons and shelves of potions manuals. Hermione walked over to the row of clear glass vials. Inside one was a single hair that Hermione had taken off of Professor McGonagall's cloak. It was the prime ingredient of the potion. Draco would have a single hour as Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts staff, to get out of the area.
"It looks disgusting," Draco complained, staring at the cauldron.
"It tastes worse," Hermione assured him with a grimace. "I'm glad I'm not the one drinking it this time."
"This time?" Draco asked quizzically.
Hermione blushed and looked away. Draco had never known that Harry and Ron had used Polyjuice to spy on him. "Have you got your things packed?"
Draco nodded, indicating the trunk in the corner. "I had to leave some of it behind. Some Quidditch stuff. Go ahead and let Weasley have it. He'll need it."
Hermione widened her eyes in surprise, but nodded. Draco had come to surprise her a great deal ever since the end of fifth year.
"I'm going to miss you, Granger," Draco said suddenly.
Hermione glanced up at him, her hand frozen in midair, her mouth open with shock. It was the kindest words Draco Malfoy had ever spoke to her; even calling her "Granger" was an improvement over "Mudblood".
"Well, don't gape at me," Draco snapped. "Get on with it."
That was much more familiar territory. Hermione uncapped the glass vial and reached inside it, pulling out the single hair. "You're ready to be McGonagall?"
"Not really," Draco answered. "Truthfully, I would rather be here with you. You're not so bad, for a Mudblood."
Hermione glared at him and forced herself to conceal a smile. She watched Draco for a moment, drinking in the silvery hair, the pale face, the flickering eyes. Then she blushed, feeling foolish, and turned back to the potion.
She ladled some of the thick, lumpy potion into a glass and dropped McGonagall's hair in. Instantly the potion foamed and bubbled, turning from it's pale grey to a bright blue.
"It's a lot prettier then last time," Hermione said brightly, then clapped a hand over her mouth. Draco appeared not to notice, however. He was staring at the glass of potion.
"There is more in the cauldron. Do I need all that too?" Draco asked, not accepting the glass.
Hermione shook her head. "No, there is a whole batch in there. I was afraid to reduce the recipe." She reached out, offering the glass, which Draco reluctantly took from her.
He sniffed it. "Smells like that damn perfume she always wears, disgusting."
Hermione frowned. "You don't need to insult it, Malfoy. It's not my fault. Polyjuice is always horrible."
"How do I know it will work?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "You take it, then you know. If you don't turn into McGonagall in a minute, then I made it wrong. I'm sure I didn't though. It's not so difficult, Polyjuice."
"It seemed complicated. Then again, you were always pretty smart." Draco looked directly into Hermione's eyes. "You are."
"Drink the potion," Hermione said, to cover her nervousness. Draco's compliments always made her feel uncomfortable. She kept expecting them to be a joke.
Draco met her gaze for a moment, then raised the glass to his lips. He made a terrible face as he drank, but consumed the entire glass.
"Oh, ouch," Draco moaned. He dropped the glass, which shattered on the floor, spilling a bit of the potion on the floor. Draco clutched at his stomach. "Damn, that hurts."
"It does, for a moment," Hermione replied. She patted his shoulder gently.
Draco winced and sank down onto the floor. Hermione sat with him and held him for a moment as he groaned in pain.
"I'm going to be sick," Draco muttered.
"Just relax. It's over in a minute," Hermione promised.
Draco's painful, constricted breathing finally became more normal. His hand found its way over to hers and Hermione absently grasped it, trying to comfort him. She glanced over at the Polyjuice cauldron, wondering of the Room of Requirement would clean itself or if she ought to.
She felt Draco's head lean on her shoulder. His hair was longer, and soft against her skin. Hermione patted him hand. Then she paused, and stared.
The hand she was patting was identical to her own.
She jerked away from Draco, and stifled a scream.
"Do I look like McGonagall?" Draco asked nervously.
Hermione shook her head, mute.