Thanks as usual :) Hope you enjoy! There's some recognizable dialogue in this chapter from the book/movie...obviously I don't own that.


The next evening, they waited outside Professor McGonagall's office until Filch came for them, leading them out to Hagrid's hut. Hermione rolled her eyes, then suppressed a laugh, catching Draco's expression as the caretaker went on about the 'old punishments'. She wondering if they ever even existed, or if he merely enjoyed trying to scare the students. She decided she would consult Hogwarts: A History, as soon as she returned to the castle, or else ask the Tonks or the Malfoys if they knew. Probably both.

"The forest?" Draco exclaimed, "I thought that was a joke. You can't expect us to go in there! My father will hear about this."

She found a small smile playing on her lips. Oh, Draco, ever with a penchant for drama. He didn't seem to mind the forest half as much when they went together, on an almost daily basis. Yes, his father would hear about this, and Lucius would probably rant and rave about the incompetence of Dumbledore, sending a disapproving letter to the 'old coot' and complain at the next board meeting. It was easy to see where his son got his theatrics from.

"We're lookin' for a unicorn; I've been findin' unicorn blood. One of them is injured, and it's our job to find it. Neville, you can go with Malfoy," Hagrid said gruffly.

Draco shot a glare at Neville, who inadvertently became the reason they were all here in the first place. He'd seen Draco lurking after Harry and Hermione as they left the tower, and tried to warn them he was up to something. He had honourable enough intentions, though of course before he could manage his goal, he'd gotten all four of them caught.

"Fine then; I get the dog," Draco said, still annoyed at who he'd been partnered up with. He would've taken the boy-who-lived before Longbottom, or really just about any other student in the castle, except Weasley of course.

"Sure, jus' so ye know, Fang's a bloody coward," Hagrid added, unimpressed with the young Malfoy's request.

Draco's shoulders dropped in resignation at his fate, determined he would be killed by something before the night was out, and Hermione cast him one last pitying look as he left with Longbottom.

A few minutes after they'd separated, and after watching his partner jump at his shadow for what he'd counted to be the twenty-third time, he grabbed the boy's arm in an effort to calm him down. Quite contrary to the reaction he'd hoped for, Neville panicked, sending red sparks up into the sky.

"Longbottom! Get a grip," Draco hissed as Hagrid rushed forward with Harry and Hermione in tow.

"He grabbed me," Neville mumbled sheepishly, looking down at his feet, which he shifted over uncomfortably.

"Right." Hagrid looked at the pair, eyeing Draco particularly suspiciously.

The pairs were switched around, and Hermione noticed a twinge of irritation as she sent him another sympathetic glance. At least he wasn't shaking, she wanted to say, more to see him actually, explode than anything else. Her entertainment at his expense was short-lived when she realized Draco's half of the team was actually much more functional than her own.

Now that Neville had joined them, they barely made it ten steps before they had to stop and wait for him to pick himself up off of the ground. She tried not to appear too skeptical for Longbottom's sake, he really didn't deserve the harassment Draco put him through, but it was a difficult task when the boy was shaking like a leaf and tripping over his own feet.

She desperately wished that she'd been partnered with Draco, or had at least gotten to stay with Harry. As they wandered through the forest, their presence seemed absolutely hopeless. They were just five people and the unicorn could be anywhere, the odds of actually finding it were ridiculously low. She kicked a few stones out of her way, trying to keep a conversation going so she wouldn't lose her mind to boredom before the night was out, but Neville's chattering teeth made it rather difficult.

She gasped, suddenly much more alert when red sparks overhead caught her attention. "Hagrid!" she hissed, pointing. To her horror, the half-giant just chuckled.

"We've best be findin' them—probably just Malfoy bein' scared of his shadow."

"Hagrid! They could be in real danger!" Hermione cried, upset that he was so casually brushing off their alarm signal. She was absolutely certain neither would cast the sparks unless it was absolutely vital, their pride wouldn't let them.

"Right. We'll—let's be on our way, then." He started casually walking towards them. Hermione tried to press them to go faster, but Neville kept falling, and Hagrid wouldn't stop shrugging. Neither were willing to take the danger seriously. Finally, they came into sight of the boys.

"Harry! Draco! Are you alright?" Hermione's voice cut through the forest, causing them both to snap their heads in her direction.

Harry turned back towards Draco, having forgotten he was even there while the centaur spoke of the danger in the forest. The blonde boy shrugged at him, hoping to convey a much more nonchalant attitude towards the situation than he felt. Before they turned back towards her, Hermione had launched herself at them, hugging both boys, relieved that they appeared unharmed. Hesitantly, they each returned the gesture. When she pulled away she seemed to realize what she'd done.

"I'm sorry," she squeaked at Draco, mentally hitting herself for the poorly thought through action.

When Draco looked neither displeased nor averse to her actions, Harry stared suspiciously at him, utterly perturbed by his lack of reaction. It was pushed to the back of his mind, to be forgotten, however, at the thought of much more pressing matters: Voldemort's attempt to return to life.

"I'll talk to you soon," Draco whispered, squeezing her arm as he walked past Hermione into the castle. Their hectic evening finally over, they were all eager to get back to their dorms.

The two Gryffindor boys talked rapidly on their journey back, mostly cursing Malfoy for interfering, but Hermione stayed silent. She couldn't help but go over Draco and Harry's expressions in the forest, wondering what had scared them that badly.

"Pig snout," she said absentmindedly.

Crawling through the portrait hole after it opened, closely followed by Harry and Neville, she quickly walked towards the dormitory stairs, eager to write to Draco. Before she got very far, Harry intercepted her.

"Hermione, I'm going to go get Ron. I really need to talk to the two of you," he said quietly, as soon as Neville was out of earshot.

"Alright, Harry, I'll be back in a minute, I just need to use the loo."

Hermione ran up the stairs, but rather than turn towards the washrooms, she went straight for the journal to let Draco know she would be a while. After a couple quick messages, she returned down the stairs to find Harry and Ron. Sitting in front of the fire, Harry summarized to them everything that and occurred in the forest, appearing to have already told Ron how they ended up there.

Her face ashen, Hermione stood up without a single comment once he'd finished. Bidding the boys goodnight, she hurried back to her dorm. She couldn't even force a smile towards Lavender when the girl looked up from her book, Anne of Avonlea, to say goodnight.

Harry told me.

That's why no one can know we're friends—My family supported him before he died. If he comes back…I think he'll kill us if we don't support him again.

I don't know what to say…

Believe me, I don't either. What if he comes back?

He won't.

He might.

We should go to sleep.

Meet me tomorrow?

Not in the forest.

By the lake?

Alright, I'll let you know when I can get away.

Goodnight, Hermione.

Goodnight, Draco.

She put the book aside, and pulled a blank piece of parchment and a quill out of her trunk, needing to quiet her fears.

Dear Cissa and Lucius,

Tonight was awful. Truly awful in every sense the word can describe although the silver lining is the dragon is gone. A boy in my house took it upon himself to warn Harry and I that Draco was going to tell on us. Hah! Then, he was caught, and got Draco, Harry, and I caught as well. He meant well, I tell myself. We served detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest, and I have to wonder why go through the trouble of naming it 'forbidden' if you're going to be sending students alone in there anyways?

Draco was paired with Neville while Harry and I left with Hagrid in the search of an injured unicorn, but Neville hates Draco and is rather jumpy. He sent up sparks within the first ten minutes of us separating, then the groups were switched, Harry going with Draco instead of Neville. I didn't see them for about another hour when we found them after they sent up sparks. When we got there, a centaur named Firenze was with them, standing near the body of a dead unicorn. It was a horrible sight on its own, but once we got back to the castle, Harry told me what he and Draco saw before we got there. I'm sure he'll be much more thorough.

Voldemort was in the forest, drinking the unicorn's blood to stay alive. The centaur confirmed it, well, sort of anyway. He found a way to come back. Draco told me that's the reason we can't be friends in public, because he might come back, and you'll have to work for him again if he does.

I'm so afraid. I'm supposed to be brave, but I'm not. I'm terrified.

Please tell me something happy.

Love,

Hermione

Curfew be damned, she thought to herself rebelliously as she got out of bed to walk over to the Owlery, resolutely clutching her letter in one hand, and her wand in the other. She would write to her parents, Dora, Andy, and Ted tomorrow, but she needed to send this particular letter tonight.

She would take another detention if she had to.

The common room was empty, something she was thankful for as she slipped outside the portrait, but her luck ran out two turns later when, for the second night in a row, she found herself face to face with an irate Professor McGonagall.

"Haven't you already had a long enough night, Miss Granger?" she asked, surprised to see her favourite pupil outside past curfew again after the detention, and more particularly with all the trouble, the girl had been given by her peers.

"That's the problem. I just need to send a letter." Hermione looked at her feet, ashamed that she was disappointing her favourite professor again.

"Surely it could've waited until tomorrow morning!" her professor insisted. "Why don't you head back to your dormitory, and I will post it for you. To your parents I presume?" she asked kindly.

"I appreciate it, Professor, but I really need to send it myself," she replied stubbornly.

Minerva was caught off guard, wondering who the girl could be writing to that she felt she personally had to mail the envelope. "Miss Granger, I insist. Either let me post the letter tonight, or you may wait until tomorrow morning. Students are not to be out of bed past curfew," she said a little more resolutely.

"Voldemort was in the forest!" Hermione all but cried. Her exhaustion and fear leading her to be far more outspoken towards her professor than she would've been otherwise. "I just want someone to tell me everything's going to be alright. And that he won't come back. And that I'm safe."

Tears started rolling down her cheeks, causing the older woman to stiffen somewhat.

"Miss Granger, why don't you come sit in my office for a while, and I'll get you a cup of tea," she said. "You can use my owl and post your letter yourself."

Hermione sat with Minerva for almost an hour after sending her letter. While curious who the letter was destined for, she refrained from asking the question. Hermione repeated to her the story she'd heard from Harry earlier, causing Minerva significant distress. Not only was the most dangerous wizard in history currently hiding in the school's forest, but she'd sent students into the

forest not four hours ago. No longer feeling able to provide the reassurances the girl had wanted, despite her best efforts to, she accompanied her back to the common room entrance.

Minerva's owl arrived before the regular morning post, carrying a thick envelope with her student's name written elegantly across the front and a small package. Minerva stared at the writing for a few moments. She had seen it before, it had belonged to a student she held in particular disdain. He had been top of his class, prefect, then Head Boy, but she hated every Outstanding she was forced to give him.

The writing belonged, without a doubt, to Lucius Malfoy. She tried to mask her disapproval when Hermione picked up the delivery in her office before breakfast. It was shocking enough to have seen Hermione and Draco on friendly terms, but Hermione, her Muggle-born, Gryffindor student writing to Lucius Malfoy was quite another thing.

Oblivious to the older woman's discovery, Hermione thanked her warmly for allowing her to borrow her owl the night before, and set back off to her dormitory to open them in private while her housemates were still at breakfast. She started with the box.

Inside was a bracelet, a thick, yet somehow delicate, gold chain knotted in a way only goblin magic can do. The perfect braid was interrupted by a small crest, a rather scary looking one if she looked closely enough. A skull and banner topped it, reading 'the noble and most ancient house of black'. Underneath it she could make out crows and an arm holding a wand. She placed it carefully next to her and opened the envelope, two letters came out. She read the one from Cissa first.

Dear Hermione,

I'm sure you're wondering about the bracelet, I'll get there soon.

I wish I would tell you all will be well, but Lucius and I don't believe it ourselves, which is why we've gone through so much trouble to protect Draco should the Dark Lord come back. All I can say with certainty is that I believe he'll be gone one day and that our lives will finally be a little more free. Until then, I've been thinking about everything you've told me you go through at school because of blood-status, and with the letters I got from you and Draco last night, Lucius and I are more concerned than ever for both of you.

I only met you for a week, but combined with yours and Draco's letters, I care a great deal about your safety. The bracelet is a family heirloom, I hope you'll do me the honour of wearing it, despite the…unfortunate…connections my family had and has.

Lucius and I placed a great deal of spells on it to protect you, in addition to the ones already in place. It'll help us sleep a little easier. I know they wouldn't hold up in a situation like my son and Potter found themselves in yesterday, but it will protect you, at least partially, from many darker spells. To ease your concern, I doubt that anyone would recognize the crest unless they looked at it closely. Especially in your House, I'm sure it could be passed off as a Muggle bracelet.

You asked to hear something happy, so I will fill the next few pages with escapades from my time at Hogwarts, hoping you will find them diverting…

Narcissa filled two more pages, front and back with anecdotes of her youth. Tears filled Hermione's eyes as she finished the letter, pulling the bracelet onto her wrist. She looked at it and her heart flared with love for the woman who was trying so hard to make her feel better, even though they had, as she'd pointed out, interacted for only a very short time. She unfolded the second letter which, by the writing, she knew was from Lucius.

Dear Hermione,

I wish to add my own sentiments to Cissa's- please wear the bracelet, and stay safe. The letters you and Draco sent were quite alarming. I will tell you what I told Draco: stay away from the forest, although I think that could go unsaid. If you are asked to go there for any reason, by any professor, refuse. If they insist, contact me or Cissa, or have the Headmaster do so. It's unacceptable that students be put in danger that way.

Part of me wishes I could disclose to you the reason we were involved in all this, but forgive me, I can't. Whatever happens, I hope you know that I always have my family's best interests and safety in mind and that we will do our best to protect you as well.

Lucius

She read the letter twice, before storing it, and Cissa's, carefully with the others, in a box inside her trunk. Sitting on the bed, she stole a quick glance at the clock and realized Lavender and the others would be back from breakfast soon. Prepared for her day since the trip she'd made to Professor McGonagall's office, she decided to start a letter to Dora before class.