This chapter took a very different turn as I was writing it. I hope you enjoy it!

The Spy

by somekindofwildgirl

Chapter 4

Friday, April 28, 2000, 7:00 am

"Mission report."

It was time for our weekly check-in with our Handler. He had told us to meet him at the Ministry, which was a risk that I was reluctant to take. Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott both worked here. Zabini worked in International Law, while Nott worked in Magical Law Enforcement as a Hostage Negotiator. Those were the only two we knew were involved in the radical group, it was impossible to know how far that organization had spread. If Malfoy and I were spotted, it would draw suspicion and that would be the end of our mission.

"We have managed to infiltrate their social circle. Their plans revolve around the Solstice. Unspeakable 2 and I have yet to figure out anything concrete. We are still too new for them to trust us with anything of substance," I told our Handler.

Malfoy joined in. "We know that Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott are involved. We have begun setting up a profile of their leader."

Our Handler did not answer right away, instead, he was rummaging through his bag. "We have received intel that important blueprints are located in this office," he said giving us each a dossier. "We have staked it out for you and provided a detailed schedule for shift changes, the security, and the like. You need to get those documents and give them to me by the end of the week."

I flipped through the file. It seemed like a pretty clear-cut assignment. Malfoy had already closed his dossier and resumed his bored expression. I was still undecided on how I felt about our Handler. I had never worked with this one before and therefore, I was taking a leap of faith trusting him.

"Where are the vials?" I asked when I was done inspecting the documents. It was a well-known fact that I was cautious. Rumours had spread about my particularities and I knew I was the butt of other Unspeakables' jokes. But a wisp of my blonde hair spotted during this raid could help the radicals identify us.

He rummaged through his bag and pulled them out. "I was also told to inform you that you are both off duty tonight. Harry Potter pulled some strings and has invited you both to the Burrow."

I threw the file on the table. "No. I will not be attending. I am in the middle of a mission. This could ruin weeks of preparation that I have spent into developing Lyra."

Malfoy was silent. Why was he invited? Not that I cared because I would prefer to spend months undercover with him than return to the Burrow. I could kill Harry for this.

"This is not a request; it is an order. The Head Unspeakable needs to be on good terms with the Auror office," our Handler said, putting his stuff away. "I advised the Head Unspeakable against it, but he chose to ignore my advice. Do not blow your cover. I should not need to remind you how important this mission is for all of us."

Friday, April 28, 2000, 6:00 pm

Malfoy and I were walking up the path to the Burrow. This was the last place that I wanted to be. I could hear laughter in the backyard and the smell of roasted chicken filled the air. Only Malfoy's presence forced me to go on. I did not want to show weakness in front of him after giving him a hard time last week. Thankfully, the weather had been unusually hot this past week. This explained why the Weasleys had planned something outdoors.

Harry greeted us at the door. He looked both nervous and happy to see me. As soon as I stepped through the door, Harry pulled me aside. Malfoy stood off to the side and waited for me. I was strangely grateful. I wouldn't have to walk into the backyard alone.

"Hermione, I know you're angry with me. This was the only way I could get you to come and see everyone."

"I am in the middle of a mission. Do you know the huge risk I am taking? I had to break my cover and in doing so, I have endangered myself," I snapped.

"You are always on missions. It's like you take them to spite me," Harry said, pushing his glasses up. I could tell he was angry with me and it was about time. He had been too understanding since the War and it was grinding on my nerves.

"Yes because everything always revolves around the Boy-Who-Won. My job as an Unspeakable, which you aren't even supposed to know about, is important to me. It is the only thing that makes sense these days, a way to turn what I learned in the war into something positive. What you did today was not right," I said and walked to Malfoy.

I was done with the whole situation. I understood where Harry was coming from, I really did. But how could I describe how I felt? Malfoy didn't comment on the situation and we walked out into the backyard together. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were tending to the children, while Ron, Ginny, George, Bill, and their significant others were sitting on lawn chairs. Ron was in the middle of a story with large hand gestures and when he was finished, everyone burst into laughter.

"Why is Hermione with Draco?" George asked.

"They probably showed up at the same time," Ron said.

I rolled my eyes and tried to restrain myself from reaching out to Malfoy. After weeks of being undercover today, it was hard to separate this outing from the mission. We were not married, but two people at odds with each other. This was why I had objected to this, because even Malfoy was hovering around me. Being undercover was difficult and it was much easier when you could submerge yourself in the mission and return to reality when it was all over. Ginny got up and welcomed us.

"Hermione, I am surprised to see you here. Feel free to help yourself to some food," she said with a nervous smile. "Draco, where have you been? The letters we sent you were sent back. We were scared that something had happened to you. Teddy has been asking about you."

Malfoy rubbed the back of his neck, a sign that he was uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, Gin. I should have told you that I was sent abroad for work. How is Teddy?"

"He is going through another phase. This time, he magically throws food at every meal, refusing to eat anything but chocolate. I could kill him," she laughed.

"My mother said I had a bad sweet tooth as well. Where is the little monster?" Malfoy asked. He spotted the toddler and left me alone with Ginny.

The redhead turned towards me. "So you and Draco?"

"We showed up at the same time," I shrugged. I could tell she wanted to say something and I waited for her to build the courage. Maybe then she would leave me alone.

"Look, I know that you suffered in the war. We all did, frankly. Harry is still convinced that you'll come back to us. But you and I both know that won't happen," Ginny said. "Either stop this little act of yours and come back home or get out of our lives. Harry will be my family and I will protect him, even from you."

I had to close my eyes and focus on stopping the onslaught of memories that attacked my brain. Some of them were so clear, while others flickered to the front of my mind like photographs. I opened my eyes and looked around the yard. Children laughing, a meal shared with family, and love. Ginny was right, I didn't fit in here. I was too broken, damaged by the war and I doubt I could ever be fixed. I could never be the girl they wanted me to be.

A familiar arm wrapped around me. "Hermione has every right to be here. She is one of us."

"No, she is not one of us. We did not turn, fight for the other side during the war," Ginny snapped.

I was about to speak up, but Malfoy pulled me so that I was behind him. "Does that mean that I am no longer welcome?"

"That's not what I meant. You know that you are always welcome here. Draco, please don't go down this road again."

"I would go down this road without question, every time," Malfoy said. I didn't know what they were referring to. I was too stunned that he was defending me to wonder about it. "How do you think you would react under torture? I am sure that Harry told you that the Dark Lord himself was her frequent visitor."

"I would rather die than turn," Ginny said, her face red. "If she was truly on our side, she would have died like everyone else did rather than take orders from Him."

I had to squeeze my eyes shut as the flashbacks threatened to pull me under. How did Malfoy know something that I barely knew myself? He must have gotten close to Harry during the war to know such intimate details of our lives. I was tempted to hide my face in his side, but I would not show how much their words affected me. I stood up straight and stepped out of Malfoy's side. I would not let this child walk all over me.

"Your words show how naïve you are. Do you think that war is some fairytale? The hero always saves the day. Everyone's lives continue on like nothing happened? Your perfect world will come crumbling down around you and you will have no one to blame but yourself." No longer able to tolerate Ginny, I left and retreated into the house.

Mrs. Weasley was a creature of habit. Everything was in the same place it had been since I was eleven years old. It was like the Burrow had been frozen in time watching as the world around it changed. I grabbed a glass from the cupboard and poured myself a glass of water.

I needed to regroup. This was the reason I never showed up. Ginny's opinion was shared by several others. I was regarded an outsider, someone that could no longer be trusted. No one - other than those who had been forced to endure such horrors - understood what it was like to be captured. To be tortured over and over again until you lost all concept of time, of yourself. Initially, every moment was spent trying to find a way to survive. Eventually, you kept trying to die but they would keep you alive against your will.

Harry was the only person who knew a little bit of what I had endured. He had confessed it to me shortly after the war. He was forced to enter the Dark Lord's mind during His sessions with me, unable to do anything to save me. It threatened to tear him apart. Harry blamed my brokenness on himself. It was the reason he was trying so hard to save me. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he stopped trying. It was a truth that Ginny did not know, her innocent little mind couldn't understand.

"I'm sorry about Ginny."

I turned around and tried my best smile. "Thanks, Ron. We both know that she's right. I don't belong here anymore."

His hands were shoved in his jeans. He kept his distance. I don't know if I was grateful or hurt by that. "It's hard. When I look at you, all I see is her. But then you talk or you do something that she would never do and it's like losing her all over again."

"What do you want me to do? To say? That I'm sorry? I look at myself in the mirror and I don't even recognize the person that I've become," I said turning around to look out the window. Harry and Ginny were fighting. That's what I brought, conflict and chaos. It was easier to watch that than look at Ron. "But I'm tired of saying sorry. This is the person that I am now. You guys need to stop trying to 'bring' me back because that Hermione died in the war and she's not coming back."

Ron had walked up to me. He was so close that if I shifted my weight back, I would be leaning against him. I held my breath, waiting to see what he would do. "I can't do this anymore."

My eyes fluttered shut and my heart broke when he left the kitchen. Harry spotted me from outside and waved me over. I contemplated leaving. I didn't know how much more I could handle. It felt like everything was unraveling around me. But part of me could never say no to Harry. I made my way outside and tried to ignore the glare that Ginny sent me as she joined her family off to the side.

His green eyes caught my mood immediately. "Ginny never should have said those things to you."

"Harry, I understand that you feel guilty, but you need to let me go. Even Ron can't bear to be near me. Just let me go," I pleaded.

He pulled me towards him and wrapped his arms around me. "What you and Ron had… It was different. You guys were in love. You need to give him a break," Harry said. "I don't want you here because I feel guilty. I want you here because you have been the one person that has never given up on me. You can push me away, you can hate me, but I will always be there for you. You are my sister and family comes first."

"Why?"

"Because you have never left me. Even Ron can't say that. I'm sorry for forcing you here. I made a mistake. I will give you space, but I would like to see you. We can just spend time together – me and you – and get to know each other again?"

I squeezed my eyes shut so he wouldn't know I was crying. "I did leave you, Harry. I turned into a monster. I have done some awful things. Things that there is no coming back from."

"That was never your choice. Your will was taken from you. Don't you remember the doubts I used to have? That having Voldemort in my mind was turning me evil? War is not a pretty thing, but we do what we need to survive. And we survived, Hermione. We are still here."

He kissed the top of my head and released me. I was surprised to see the backyard had emptied at some point and I was grateful for the privacy. Harry wiped my tears and I nodded. "No more family gatherings."

"I promise. Don't be a stranger," Harry said as he walked me to the front of the house.

I was surprised to see Malfoy waiting for me.

"I will take it from here," the blond said and I bristled at the implication of being weak.

"Take good care of her, Draco."

Harry hugged me one last time before Malfoy and I apparated home.

Tuesday, March 24, 1998, 11:00 pm

He walked down the hallway that would lead him to victory. It had been a risk, but if they were successful… This would mean the end of Potter and all those pathetic blood traitors, half-bloods, and mudbloods. The cell doors swung open with a wave of his hand, the clattering of metal against stone echoed down the corridor.

"My Lord, it is ready at last," Bellatrix said, bowing to him. He could hear the giddiness in her voice, a useless emotion. But it was her feelings that made her such a devoted follower.

"Bring it forward," he snapped.

Two of his followers grabbed the creature and dragged it to the center of the room. He could already see the use of it. The thing would be attractive if it gained a bit of weight. The breaking in process was always difficult. Many had died in previous experiments and it showed just how strong this thing was to have endured through it. He lifted its chin and was surprised to see blank brown eyes stare back at him. He had always seen defiance in this gaze. The swell of hope bloomed in his chest.

"What is your name?"

She did not flinch at his tone; her gaze had returned to the floor. "Hermione Granger, my Lord."

"Who do you serve?" he asked, curious.

"You, my Lord."

"Are you willing to sacrifice yourself to the Cause?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"You will kill Harry Potter when the time comes."

Her gaze returned to him, the promise glittering in her eyes. "I will kill Harry Potter when the time comes, my Lord."

He released a burst of laughter that was so powerful that it almost shook the foundation of the castle. Yes, the future looked very promising indeed.

The next chapter will be more action packed. What did you think? How was Voldemort's POV? (That was definitely not planned). Thank you for reading!