They paced the library for hours reading everything they could on souls and stealing them. Since they were no longer students they were free to roam the restricted section without fear. Unfortunately, most of the books were rather too dangerous, complicated or just down right impossible to open. They wouldn't be much help without knowing exactly what they were looking for.
"Okay, tell me again Hermione, what happened?" Harry asked for the thousand time.
Hermione sighed. She was beginning to get a headache. "Draco came into my bathtub and told me that Voldemort or this black void thing had stolen the souls of some of the death eaters and taken them somewhere… I don't know Draco just pointed down. He said it wasn't really Voldemort but like a dark mass of his emotions and anger. It was conscious but confined somehow. It was planning something though. That's all he said before he disappeared."
Harry frowned. "You said something about his mother preserving his body though right?"
"Yeah, and that was the reason he could come up here and talk to me. But he seemed afraid that he didn't know how much longer he had."
Harry snapped a book he had been looking at shut and stood up. "Well that's then isn't it. We need to go talk to Narcissa".
Hermione bit her lip nervously. This was all becoming too much. "Harry doesn't something feel off about all this. I mean really. Draco turns up two years after the war asking me of all people for help and-"
"And what Hermione? They saved my life, all our lives. I may have hated him in school, but if what he said is true, he doesn't deserve that," Harry finished defiantly.
"Harry, I just think for once, we shouldn't put our noses in something that isn't our business."
The way Harry was looking at her truly scared her. It was like he was waiting for something like this to happen or worse- like he welcomed it. He had spent much of his life going on dangerous adventures, and being in the face of death that Hermione was sure he didn't know how to live without it. Like he wasn't Harry Potter unless he was fighting something or someone.
Her suspicions were almost confirmed when Harry told her that he was going to send a patronus to Ron to come to the castle.
"Ron doesn't need to be involved in all this! He would never even think to help the Malfoys," she said.
"Hermione, we are going to need him if we are going to fight whatever it is coming."
"No one said anything about fighting, Harry. Draco just asked me to research ways to get him out of whatever it is he is going through."
She could feel Harry becoming more frustrated with her and decided not to push.
"Look," she started slowly, "how about you and I go to Malfoy Manor and talk to Narcissa on our own. To see what's really going on. If something else happens we can tell Ron, but for now, let's just make sure this isn't some sort of a game," Her tone was final but gentle.
Harry agreed with her, knowing that he shouldn't push her either.
"I'll send her an owl to see when we can come. You look like you need some rest. There's plenty of room here if you want to stay the night," he offered.
Hermione smiled but declined. "I need to get home and change. Besides, it's weird being back here. I don't know how you do it."
Harry walked her back to his office in silence. How many times have they walked these halls together worried about homework, Quidditch, girls? Not nearly as much as they walked around worried about being murdered. It was a shame that they never truly got to be students, carefree and just plain kids.
"Harry make sure you get some dinner okay. And try not to stress about this until there's a legitimate reason to stress," she said.
Harry rolled his eyes in reply.
She gave him a kiss on the cheek and hug before grabbing floo powder and heading to the fireplace. The last thing she saw before the flames whipped her away was Harry pouring over that newspaper clipping she saw earlier that day.
Hermione fumbled with her keys when she got back to her flat. Her meeting with Harry hadn't exactly left her feelings as eased as she thought it would. If anything she felt worse. She was quickly becoming a part of something that she simply wanted nothing to do with. When she finally got into her apartment she stepped in but her foot caught something stiff and she plummeted to the ground.
"What in the world! Lumos!"
She gasped at what she saw. Her entire apartment looked like it had been trashed by a band of wild Cornish Pixies. She flipped all her lights on and looked around checking to see if anything was stolen.
"Wow, looks like you've been having a good time," came a voice behind her.
Hermione spun around but was not surprised to see Draco there, looking around with interest.
"Did you see who did this?" she asked.
"No I only just came up when you got here. Are you hurt?" he said seriously.
Hermione noted the tone of worry in is voice. "No I was at Hogwarts, talking with Harry all day. What could someone possibly want in here?" she said a quick spell to repair everything and clean her apartment. She started looking around to se if anything was missing.
Draco felt a little awkward just standing there so he made himself busy in the kitchen, preparing her a cup of tea. He was mastering his corporeal form but didn't know how long it would last. Just when he thought he had the hang of it, the cup slipped through his hand and crashed all over the floor.
Shit.
Hermione walked in casually, said a spell disintegrating the broken pieces of the mug while taking out another mug from the cupboard.
"I always hated that mug. Ron gave it to me for our six month anniversary. It said Book Worm on it," she said.
"I don't get it," Draco replied.
"Yeah me either."
She filled her cup with tea and went back to the couch and turned the tv on. An episode of I love Lucy was playing. She smiled a bit and sank further into the couch. Draco looked at her like she was a crazy person. Her apartment had pretty much been ransacked and she was acting like it was an ordinary Sunday evening.
He felt a pull inside his stomach but fought it. He wasn't ready to go back and he found that he was able to stay up in the real world a little bit longer every time. But when he did return his energy was drained and he was afraid he was getting weaker.
"Hermione," he whispered.
She put a finger to her lips and motioned for him to sit down. He watched the black and white images on the screen interestedly. Two women wearing ridiculous looking caps were standing in a workshop looking place eating a bunch of chocolate moving on a conveyor belt.
He heard Hermione giggle and thought it was the cutest thing he's heard in a long time. It even relaxed him and for a second he felt like he could just exist without any worry.
Hermione could feel Draco make himself comfortable and for some reason she didn't mind him next to her. It would seem almost natural if it wasn't for that fact that he was pretty much a ghost. I Love Lucy was her favorite show to watch when she was stressed out. It was nice watching someone else's crazy life.
"Harry sent an owl to your mother so we can meet and talk," she finally said simply.
Draco nodded in gratitude. "That woman has the most annoying voice I've ever heard."
Hermione started laughing uncontrollably. He didn't know what he said that was so funny but he enjoyed the sight of her none the less.
"You should hear her husband Ricky. He's not much better." She said tears running down her cheek.
"Why do you watch this?" he asked.
"It's funny and simple. Not something I get in everyday life apparently." She looked at him when she said this.
"Sorry," he shrugged.
He didn't know how long they stayed there in silence watch episode after episode of this show, but Draco began to hear deep breathing coming from Hermione. He snuck a peak at her curled up and saw that she had fallen asleep. He looked around and found a blanket neatly folded in a basket. He summoned some energy to pick it up and drape it over her.
She moaned and snuggled deeper in the couch. Draco was mesmerized by her rosy cheeks and helpless state. It seemed like forever ago he was among the living but now there was nothing around him but shadow, cold and death. He hated it and was slowly losing his mind. Hermione was possibly his last hope for a fresh start. He took one last look at her before dissolving into nothingness.
He looked around and found the familiar rock and stone that he had grown accustomed too in the last two years. He felt sure he wasn't exactly in hell but more like a purgatory in which Voldemort had taken over.
The chains on his wrists were more symbolical then they were inhibiting. He turned a corner thinking about Hermione and couldn't help but smile as he wandered around aimlessly. Everyone else must be with the thing. He hated how much they worshipped it and wanted to do whatever it told him. No one even knew what it was but just felt its power and they were sold. Much like Voldemort himself, all it wanted to do was purge the world of magicless beings.
His mind again drifted to Hermione and he slapped himself mentally for it. She hadn't completely agreed to help him but she was going to speak to his mother and that was a start. He could never hope that she would see him in a new light but that was okay. Once he was free and that thing was destroyed he would make sure his mother was safe and happy before leaving England and finding a place to start over where no one knew him. The dream was to live in a small cozy home unlike the large cold mansion he grew up in. He could experiment with potions and make all sorts of new discoveries and just relax- possible start a family of his own one day.
His daydream was short lived when he arrived to a room filled with his fellow death eaters. They were talking in low whispers not really paying him any attention. No one knew he was able to go back and forth between worlds. He usually kept to himself and rarely made moves to talk to anyone else.
He felt a hand firmly grasp his shoulder and turn to find a familiar ghostly figure.
"Back from your musings?" he asked lightly.
Draco tried to smile but it may have come off more like a grimace. "Yea, lots to think about."
"He's getting restless. I don't know how much longer til we start making moves."
Draco looked at him sternly. "Do you know what he's planning to do?"
"Yeah. But I can't say just yet. Just get your wits together Draco and stay in the loop. I don't want to see you get the wrong end of the deal here…"
Draco frowned and looked his old friend in the eyes. They were both stuck in this dark situation and he was the only one that seemed to want to get out of it. He was different now then he was during the war. He seemed distant and off somehow.
"I got your back, you got mine, right Blaise?" Draco asked.
"Right," Blaise said half-heartedly before turning and walking out the room. Draco looked after him confused but didn't question his friend's attitude. He just hoped Hermione would be getting answers for him soon.
