"Change is the essence of life. Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become."

Unknown


Chapter 7: The Change


"This isn't exactly," Hermione said as she walked through Harry's office door, "...the job I signed on for."

Harry looked up from a stack of parchments with a wide grin, standing to embrace his friend. "Hermione! Great to see you!" He said enthusiastically as he wrapped his arms roughly around her. "But bloody hell," he added as he pulled back and scrutinized her appearance, "...you look awful."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Geez, Harry, it's good to see you too."

Harry chuckled. "No, I mean it. Everything okay? It looks as though you haven't slept properly at all since I saw you last."

Hermione gave him a small smile and sat down on a rather rickety chair. "I don't think I have had a proper night's sleep. Who was I kidding when I thought I could teach and be an Auror? Am I really that arrogant?"

"Of course not," Harry smiled. "You've only ever had the tiniest bit of arrogance about you."

Hermione jabbed her elbow into his side. "Git."

Harry rubbed his side and leaned against his cluttered desk. As Hermione's eyes wandered around the cramped office, she realized that it didn't look much different from the last time she had been there.

"Well," she said mockingly as she folded her arms across her chest, "...it looks as though you're still doing your spring cleaning. What was it you told me the last time I was here? Oh, yes. I remember. You still 'hadn't had time to unpack', as you had just been moved to a new office."

Harry shrugged with a small chuckle. "I guess I forgot that you would ever come into this office again."

She rolled her eyes. "I should have known better than to have given you the benefit of the doubt."

Harry smiled helplessly, casting a pleading look in Hermione's direction.

"So," Hermione pressed as she looked at her friend, "At what time does our little adventure get underway? You asked me to be here bright and early - so here I am."

"As soon as the Department processes your paperwork for international travel. We should be ready to go within the hour."

"International travel?" Hermione asked with surprise. "Just where are we going?"

Harry chuckled. "Germany."

When Hermione's widened, he added, "I'll explain later. But first, tell me how things are going at Hogwarts."

Hermione was still reeling with the prospect of going to Germany for the weekend and it took a moment for her thought processes to catch up with her. "Oh..., yeah, they're good. It's great, actually."

"How's Hagrid?" Harry asked with an eager expression.

"Well enough. I usually only see him at meals."

"At meals?" Harry seemed quite startled and cast her a strange look. "What the bloody hell are you doing all day? You spent loads of time with Hagrid last year when you were teaching."

"Don't swear," Hermione retorted out of habit. And then she bit her lip nervously.

This was where things got a little tricky.

She couldn't tell Harry about her project with Snape - she had given her word that she wouldn't tell anyone, and Snape had trusted her to that. Conveniently enough, she didn't necessarily relish in the prospect of telling Harry that her nights were largely occupied with the man, and that she rather enjoyed his company.

Merlin, if Ron could see her now.

"I've been working on various...projects," she replied vaguely. "They've been taking up the majority of my free time."

Harry raised a thick eyebrow. "What kind of projects?"

"Experiments."

When Harry's face began to scrutinize her even further, she waved her hand dismissively in the air with a nonchalant attitude. "It would probably bore you to tears, Harry. If you care to recall the last incident of me explaining a new theory in Charms and the different elemental facets to the specific theorems, you might remember falling asleep into a bowl of mashed potatoes."

Harry laughed out loud. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

Hermione gave him a small smile that seemed to indicate, I told you so.

"Well," Harry relented as he raised his hands in defeat, "I wish that you at least had time to see Hagrid."

Hermione nodded somberly. "Me too. Though I did go see his new unicorn about a month ago, which," she added in an exasperated voice, "...he has charmingly dubbed 'Thor'."

Harry chucked softly. "I think 'Norbert' might have been a better choice."

"Agreed."

They sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the familiar company. The years of shared companionship made any silence that came between them a comfortable affair. But Hermione's soft sorrel eyes sought Harry's intense emerald ones at last, and she asked, "So, are you going to fill me in on what we're going to be doing, or would you like to start with twenty questions?"

Harry smiled, the faint hint of a dimple in his right cheek. "Well, it's going to be like the old days," he offered. "Just you and me."

Hermione raised a brow. "Just the two of us?"

"It's the buddy system," Harry replied cheerfully. "And evidently the Auror Department feels that with your brains and my past experience as an Auror, that we just might crack this thing open."

Hermione appeared unimpressed. "But why not have as many Aurors at our disposal as we can? I mean, isn't that the point? To have an infinite amount of resources?"

Harry shrugged. "That sounds all fine and grand in the scheme of things, but we don't necessarily need to send in the calvary, Hermione. Besides, it's on Buckley's orders. It will just be you and I going to Germany, and he was very specific that he wanted you on this investigation."

Hermione frowned. "But why just us?"

"Merlin, Hermione, let me finish!" Harry cried exasperatedly, though smiling at the familiar scene he found himself in. And Hermione asking incessant questions was more than just familiar. "It will be just the pair of us because we're going incognito."

When Hermione folded her arms impatiently across her chest, Harry elaborated. "We've recovered a...tape."

Hermione's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "What kind of tape?"

"A videotape - the muggle kind. Desh and Bowen recovered it in Germany."

"What does a muggle videotape have to do with the Malfoys? And how does Germany fit into anything, Harry? For expecting me to just jump at this with insurmountable enthusiasm; you're being rather vague."

"Sorry," Harry amended. And then he took a deep breath. "There have been four muggle killings in Germany over the past two weeks."

Hermione's eyes widened at the revelation, but she didn't interrupt him. "The local muggle authorities haven't been able to make anything of it - all autopsy reports have come back inconclusive," he paused. "But the one thing all four victims had in common was that they all appeared to be in decent health, no preexisting heart problems or any other medical conditions. And yet, somehow; they were all found dead."

He waited for Hermione's reaction, but she was surprisingly quiet; so he continued, "No outward physical harm was apparent, and all the deaths were roughly around the same area, leaving us to believe..."

"The killing curse," Hermione whispered as a new dreadful dawn encompassed her.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, we think so. We haven't been able to determine for sure - there's been no access whatsoever to the bodies. But everything seems to point to that direction. And, well, then there's the tape."

Hermione raised her eyebrows, waiting for him. But he was silent for several moments, gathering his thoughts. And Hermione wagered from the look on his face that whatever it was that was on the videotape; it wasn't pleasant. So a moment later she pressed quietly, "Just tell me Harry. Obviously I'll have to know what's on the tape if I'm going to be of any help."

He gave her a strained look; one which she knew all too well.

"Harry," Hermione said, her voice rising with agitation, "I know that look. And if you think, even for one minute, that you're protecting me," she spat the word with surprising vehemence, "...by not showing me what is on that tape; think again. Can you possibly imagine how condescending that is? And after everything that we've been through together?"

Harry's face softened and he reached and pulled Hermione to her feet so they were face to face. "Hermione," he said softly, "I know you're one of the most capable and resourceful witches in Britain. Don't ever doubt that I could ever see anything other than that when I look at you. But I can grieve a little, can't I? I can be wary and cautious regarding my best friend if I know something might effect her? It's not about me being the knight in shinning armor, Hermione - or about you being the damsel in distress. It's only about one friend look after another."

Hermione searched Harry's intense eyes and found nothing but sincerity. "Harry," she said with more feeling than she realized she was capable, "...I truly appreciate you looking out for me. But we're supposed to be working on this together. That's why I'm here, isn't it? I need you to trust me enough to know that I'm capable of knowing what I can and can't handle. And besides," she added as a small grin appeared on her face, "...if anyone is the damsel in distress; it's you."

Harry smiled sincerely. "Well, I can't argue that point. I don't know how many time's you've had to come and save my sorry arse."

"More times than I care to remember," she replied dryly.

"Okay," Harry said softly as he nodded his head in consent. "Okay, Hermione. As usual, you're right. Follow me."

And then he took her gently by the hand and led her out of his disastrously messy office and further down the narrow hallway of Auror offices until they reached a cracked brown door on the right side of the hallway. He deftly fished his wand out of his emerald robes and tapped it softly on the door handle. As the enchantment released on the door, Hermione brandished her own wand and wordlessly repaired it's broken surface.

"Oh," Harry said as he regarded the newly repaired door. "Thanks, Hermione. That looks loads better."

Hermione rolled her eyes and walked into the small, dark space. "Honestly, Harry. I can't believe you call yourself a wizard."

Harry smiled, shrugging slightly, and then quickly closed the door behind them. Hermione immediately lighted her wand as the darkness encompassed her, and discovered a rather ancient looking television waiting directly on the opposite wall. "Harry," Hermione said as she raised an eyebrow, "Since when has the Auror Department been hoarding old T.V.'s? Are you still coming in here on your lunch hour and watching superhero movies?"

Harry blushed, embarrassed that Hermione had recently unearthed his secret hobby of collecting old muggle superhero films. "No, Hermione. I told Buckley that we'd need something to watch the tape with, and this is what he brought in. Frankly, I'm just pleased he brought back an actual television. He's a pureblood, you know, and I can't exactly imagine sending Arthur Weasley on this task."

Hermione chuckled. "No, I guess you should be grateful. Arthur would have likely brought back a garbage disposal, or something to that effect."

Harry nodded his agreement as he waved his wand toward the T.V. "You ready?"

"Yes, Harry," Hermione replied exasperatedly. "Merlin, it's a wonder you wanted me to be an Auror in the first place."

Harry was about to retort, but thought better of it, and flicked his wrist slightly.

The screen instantly flashed to life, displaying an obnoxiously bright disarray of black and white fuzz for several seconds before finally resolving into a blurry image. It was difficult to make out what was happening in that the scene being filmed was so obviously shot at night. But after a moment of shaky camera moment, the image stilled, and focused at last on something moving in the distance.

Hermione's eyes squinted as she took a step closer to the screen and struggled to ascertain what was happening. Whomever was holding the camera was breathing quite heavily, and mumbling incoherently and frantically to themselves. Without realizing it, Hermione's heart began to quicken in her chest.

It didn't take a genius to understand that whomever was filming, was absolutely scared out of their wits.

The camera began to zoom, and Hermione could make out the faint outlines of trees - a forest, presumably, or somewhere certainly quite isolated. As she continued to quietly observe the scene, she soon saw a figure stooping over something - something lumpy and somewhat unnatural, and holding an oblong object in one hand. It must have been a full moon, because as the figure stood straight and righted himself, Hermione caught a glimpse of a shock of white-blond hair.

Stepping back; she gasped.

Harry said nothing, but stood closer still.

The blond figure was heaving the object, which Hermione soon discovered to be a shovel, and began to rip into the earth like wet flesh. There must have been tears streaming down the blond man's face, because even through the grainy film and the obvious distance of the two figures; Hermione could hear an awful, guttural sob that forced its way up from his lungs and out through his lips.

The blond man seemed completely unaware that he was being watched and began to cry loudly without shame; his sobs echoing noisily through the trees. But suddenly, a loud snap interrupted the scene, a dry twig traitorously breaking and revealing the hidden director.

"Oh, shit." The man filming said; and without warning, the camera moved into a fury - trees, rocks, ground, and sky, all whirling by like a child on carousel that was moving impossibly fast, as the man began to run frantically through the woods.

Breathing. Heavy breathing was all that could be understood. Hermione again took a tentative step closer to the screen, feeling vaguely as though she were watching some horror movie with her parents. And then the running man began to scream.

"No! Please! I'm sorry...I didn't mean anything! Please! Don't! Oh, shit!"

The voice was hysterical, mad, and so terrified that Hermione found herself shivering; the awful screams seeping into her very bones. Suddenly, the camera dropped roughly to the ground and focused on a nearby fallen leaf. But the running man's screams continued, though they were becoming fainter and fainter as he gained a greater distance. Hermione stared at the screen for a long moment, waiting for what - she wasn't sure, until she finally turned to Harry, carefully observing his expression.

"Not yet," he said gently. "It's almost...over."

With a raised eyebrow, Hermione turned back to the screen and the little leaf, as motionless and silent as a still-life painting. It took several minutes, but at last, in the far distance, Hermione could make out a sharp, anguished cry of pain; and then, nothing but silence.

She stood there breathing heavily, her mind trying to sort something out of the horrifying scene she had just witnessed. But it was too much to comprehend. It had been years since she had dealt with anything remotely related to tracking down rogue Death Eaters. There was an infinite plethora of possible ideas floating around her head - each one as unlikely as the last.

Suddenly, she felt extremely inadequate.

After what seemed like an eternity, Harry flicked his wand at the screen and it went black. He, too, then lighted his wand, and looked carefully at Hermione.

"Hermione?" he asked, taking a step toward her.

She was silent and rigid, still facing the T.V., when she abruptly turned around and said, "I need to get out of this room."

Harry nodded, taking her by the upper arm, and carefully leading her out of the room and into the open, bright, hallway. She appeared slightly shaken, but in true Hermione fashion, quickly regained her composure. Looking straight into his emerald eyes, she whispered, "Malfoy."

Harry nodded. "Yes. Draco. I'm sure of it."

"But..." she stammered, "I don't understand. What was he doing in Germany? He was...crying, Harry."

"Shocking that the little ferret has feelings, isn't it?"

"He was burying something," Hermione continued, ignoring Harry's comment, as her eyes suddenly widened. "Or, someone," she amended, with a shudder.

"I tend to think it's the later. What I don't understand is why he wasn't using a wand."

Hermione bit her lip, a nervous habit that Harry found endearingly familiar. "That is strange."

Harry could tell by the pensive look on her face that there was more going through her mind than she was letting on. He was just about to press her on the matter, when William Buckley, himself, approached from behind Hermione.

"Good morning Harry. Hermione," he greeted politely.

They exchanged slightly awkward pleasantries until Buckley handed Hermione a small beige packet. "This is for you. Your travel paperwork is inside, along with a few other items of a tedious nature. You will be expected to hand a report into me when you return."

"Yes, sir."

Buckley nodded. "Good. I'm anxious to see what the pair of you uncover. Good luck."

And with that; he walked away.

Hermione watched him retreat down the hallway before turning back to Harry. "Not exactly the easiest man to talk to, is he?"

Harry chuckled. "You get used to him. He's just very precise and to the point. He doesn't, 'waste time forming social acquaintances', as he says. Speaking of which," he added as a new thought crossed him, "...how is everything with...Snape? I've been meaning to ask you."

Hermione felt her heart quicken in her chest without knowing why.

"Oh, Snape? Well, it's...I don't know. It's sort of...difficult to explain."

Harry raised an eyebrow as he began walking back the direction they had come. "Try me."

"Well," Hermione began as she took a few quick steps to catch up, "...he still mostly keeps to himself. Some might think he's brooding, but I think it's actually just more of his nature than anyone might realize. He's still unpleasant much of the time, but he hasn't once been unfair to the Gryffindors."

"Merlin," Harry said as he quickly grabbed his and Hermione's things from his office and closed the door. "Hell has frozen over."

Hermione laughed softly and continued, "It's strange, really. He's not nearly as intimidating as he was before - though that could be because you and Ron made me paranoid the majority of the time. I've actually had...a few rather enjoyable conversations with him."

"Enjoyable conversations?" Harry asked as they reached the lift. "What about? I mean, don't get me wrong, Hermione. I'm on the man's side; it's just that I can't quite imagine ever having an enjoyable conversation with him - given the past with my parents and all."

Hermione nodded and walked into the lift. "I understand that, Harry. I really do. Mostly we've just talked about Potions. But the thing is...he really is brilliant. I mean brilliant. And when he speaks to me it's like..."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. It's exhilarating - his mind banters back without a second thought."

Harry chuckled. "What? You mean that Ron and I weren't much of a challenge for you?"

Hermione blushed. "No, Harry. That's not what I meant. You and Ron are - "

"Dunderheads," he interrupted. "But the real question is," he pressed as he looked at her intently, savoring the drama for all it was worth. "Is he more brilliant than you?"

Hermione replied instantly. "Of course."

"Well Hermione Granger; it looks as though you've finally met your match."


Hermione's first opinion of the process of international apparation, was that it was just as tedious as going through security at a muggle airport. Her small overnight satchel was checked twice under two separate wands, and she was patted down rather uncomfortably by a middle age wizard who seemed to be having a much better time of it than she was.

Harry seemed to dislike it as well - though for entirely different reasons. Three separate witches that searched his robes couldn't quite seem to get enough of him.

"Oh my. It's Harry Potter!" One witch 'whispered' to her companion, though the whole department could have easily heard what she was saying. "He's even better looking in real life than his pictures in the Daily Prophet!"

Once the two of them had reunited after the security check, Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but Harry cut her off quickly. "Don't you dare say anything, Hermione, or I'll hex you into next week."

Hermione smiled innocently. "I wasn't going to say anything at all. Though she was right - you do look better in real life."

"Shut up."

Hermione chuckled loudly to herself, much to Harry's agitation.

They finally both made their way to their separate apparation areas, and before Hermione knew it, she was standing with Harry in a loud atrium in Germany. Once their paperwork was checked and cleared, they made their way out of the crowded building and into a bustling street. It was strange to be in a new country with a different language. All around her, Hermione heard friends shouting to one another, businessmen chatting with one another, and she couldn't understand a single word coming from anyone's mouth.

It was obvious that they were in a muggle area, and Harry quickly took her by the wrist. "Come on, we need to get out of here before someone notices us."

Hermione nodded and followed him quickly. "How far away is the forest where Desh and Bowen found the tape?"

"Geographically it's quite a ways. But Desh drew me a map to the neatest isolated area, and as soon as we get there, we'll apparate."

Hermione obediently followed Harry, taking in her new surroundings as she did so. Whatever town they were in was incredibly charming. It was every bit the epitome of a small European town: narrow streets, wooden trusses on the outside of buildings, and steep roofs that met in a perfect "V" shape at the peak. The architecture appeared timeless. She didn't, however, have the luxury of time to gaze at her enamoring surrounds as Harry was quickly pulling her along down a small and narrow street that led to an open field.

"As soon as we cross the field and get into that small thicket of trees, we'll apparate," Harry said as he led her around a particularly precarious rock.

"Okay," Hermione said as she maneuvered around the object. "And, since we have a moment, have you thought about just what it is that we're going to do if we do happen to run into Malfoy and his family?"

Harry continued to walk ahead of her, pulling her along like a disobedient child. "We'll figure that out when it comes to it."

"When it comes to it?" Hermione repeated mockingly as she struggled to keep up. "You mean, you don't have any sort of plan if we happen to bump into our dear old friend and his charming father? Honestly, Harry. We need some sort of strategy."

"I don't think that it will come down to that," Harry replied. "At least while we're here this time, anyway. We're going to go in and gather information as we can, and hopefully report back to Buckley with something. I don't anticipate a show down with Draco and dear old daddy while we're here. We'd need an entire team of Aurors to successfully do that."

"Which was what I suggested back when we were at the Ministry," Hermione interjected.

Harry rolled his eyes and continued through the field. "There's something I've been thinking about Hermione," he said as he walked beside his friend. "About Malfoy, and him not using his wand."

"What of it?"

"Well, although Malfoy was an arrogant prat at school, and I thoroughly hate him with every fiber of my being; he never really had what it took to be a Death Eater. I mean, I saw it first hand; he was completely incapable of killing Dumbledore."

"Yes," Hermione agreed, "...but what does that have to do with him not having a wand?"

"Hear me out," he continued. "If he couldn't kill Dumbledore, I'm not so certain it's him behind the muggle attacks. Lucius, on the other hand, has always fit the type. He was Voldemort's right hand man for a long time, and killing a few defenseless muggles would be like child's play for him. So, maybe he's killing with Draco's wand just to cover his tracks, and that's why Draco didn't have a wand on the videotape."

Hermione looked ahead pensively. "Doesn't that seem like a bit of overkill, though? Lucius would have to know that despite whomever was responsible for the killings, that their entire family would be questioned. And a simple dose of Veritaserum would reveal the truth behind the killings, regardless."

Harry frowned. "Oh yeah. I hadn't thought about that."

"But I definitely think you're on the right track, Harry. Draco may have been a bully, but he wasn't a killer. At least," Hermione amended, "...he wasn't one seven years ago when the War ended. For all we know, he could have changed drastically during that time period. But Lucius...he's past all feeling. He never even flinched once when I was being tortured at his house."

Harry stopped and looked at her. "Hermione..."

"No, Harry," Hermione said firmly. "I don't want to talk about that. But Lucius," she continued, "...has always been extremely calculating and cunning. He's a coward in every respect - taking whatever side profited him most at that particular time. But his penchant for the Dark Arts and his service to Voldemort...Harry, I don't believe for a second that he's not capable of doing something like this. His disgust of muggles and muggle-borns supercedes any remorse he could have possibly expressed to the Ministry."

"But my biggest question," Hermione continued as they made their way into the small thicket of trees, "...is why he felt it was necessary to relocate his family to a different country. Is it because he's planning something? Trying to resurrect the Death Eater organization? Whatever it is that he's doing here, Harry; it's not good."

Harry nodded in agreement. "And if he is planning on bringing the Death Eaters back to a powerful organization, we could be looking at another war."

Hermione shivered. "I just don't understand why he would lower himself to the killings, then. He must have known that it would have immediately drawn the attention of the Aurors."

"Well," Harry said as they paused by a young tree, "Maybe it was Draco that was responsible for the killings, and Lucius taking his wand was merely a small form of retribution."

"That certainly would make sense," Hermione replied as she pulled her traveling cloak tighter around her.

Harry reached into his robes and fished out a rudimentary map that Desh had drawn for him. After studying it for a moment, he quickly folded it, returned it to his pocket and then brandished his wand. "We're going to side-along. I don't want to take any changes of us getting separated."

Though not throughly thrilled by the idea, Hermione walked over to Harry, deftly fishing her wand from her crimson robes. Harry took a step closer to her and put an arm around her waist. "You ready?"

"As ready as I can ever be when I side-along."

Without another word, Hermione felt the familiar compression close in on her as she was whisked away into nothingness.

They landed hard.

Hermione was gingerly rubbing her backside as Harry stood to offer her a hand. "Sorry," he apologized. "If I don't know exactly where I'm going, my landings tend to be a little rough."

"Thanks for the warning," she replied ruefully as she took his hand.

Brushing off her cloak, Hermione turned to see that they were in a thick forest, tall dark trees towering over them like giants. It wasn't unlike the Forbidden Forest, though Hermione could hear happy birds calling to one another, and branches moving as squirrels jumped and chased from tree to tree.

"Well, oh mighty Auror," Hermione said with a mock smile, "...what now?"

Harry shot her a reproving glance as he opened another small map. "This was approximately where Desh said they found the tape, so I suppose we just start looking around for anything out of the ordinary."

"Do you have your invisibility cloak?"

"Of course. We can both still fit if we need to."

Hermione nodded and cast a quick charm.

"What was that?"

"Homenum Revelio. I just wanted to make sure we're the only people around, which it seems to be. I didn't feel another presence when I cast the charm - well, besides you."

They searched for hours.

The cool afternoon sun slowly began to sink in the sky as the trees cast deep shadows behind them. Frustrated, Hermione sat down on a fallen tree, removed her boot, and gingerly rubbed the sole of her foot. "This is ridiculous, Harry. Desh must have drawn that map incorrectly because we've searched this entire area without so much as running into a deer."

Harry shrugged as he sat down beside her. "It needs to be done."

"Is this what you do all day long?" She asked exasperatedly. "Do you realize how many sixth year papers I could have graded in this amount of time?"

Harry laughed. "Sorry to disappoint, Hermione. But Auror work usually entails days just like this - a lot of leads with nothing that comes from them at the end of the day."

Hermione mumbled something to herself and retied her boot.

"I'll set up our tent," Harry offered. "I don't think we should be out wandering around once it gets dark - even if we haven't seen a damn thing all day."

"Our tent?"

"Yep," Harry replied cheerfully. "Just like the one we used when we were looking for Horcruxes. You can even have the top bunk."

"How very kind of you," Hermione said as she rolled her eyes.

Harry had the tent up in no time, and after Hermione had cast her muggle repelling charms and the like, she soon found herself taking comfort in a stack of blankets while Harry studiously observed Desh's map by wandlight.

"We're exactly where we should be," Harry said as he put on an extra pair of socks. "I can't believe that we didn't see anything today."

"Well, there's not much to be done for it now," Hermione said with a yawn, "I'm turning in. Do you think we should take turns keeping watch?"

"No," Harry said dismissively as he continued to study the map. "I'm a light sleeper - ask Ginny. I wake up at anything. Go ahead and sleep; I'm going to look at this for a bit longer, anyway."

Hermione didn't need to be told twice and quickly changed and climbed up the ladder to her bed. She must have been out the next minute, but the next thing she knew, it was completely dark around her and Harry was shaking her roughly.

"What?" She whispered, as her heart began to pound frantically.

"Don't move," Harry's voice whispered. "Someone's out there."

Hermione reached for her wand under her pillow and held perfectly still as Harry quietly climbed down the ladder and tip toed to the entrance of the tent. Without a sound, he lowered his body so he was completely flat on the ground and gently removed a tiny portion of the tent flap as he peered out into the darkness. After a moment he motioned to her to stay where she was and he quietly pulled his invisibility cloak around him.

Hermione was down the ladder and at his side within a few seconds, much to his angry dismay.

"What are you doing?" He demanded in a harsh whisper.

"I'm going with you, what did you think?"

"Stay here."

"Like hell I am. You drag me across several countries and tell me to stay in the tent? You know me better than that, Harry. I'm not letting you go alone."

"Dammit, Hermione!"

But a quiet movement several meters off silenced him, and he immediately threw the cloak over Hermione and covered her mouth with his hand. Hermione could feel his heart beating against her just as rapidly as her own was; the loud thumping seemed almost traitorous in the silence. After a moment, Harry stood, taking Hermione up with him as he rose, and they carefully exited the tent and into the cool night air. Hermione, who was wearing nothing but pajama pants and a tank top; shivered.

They both listened intently, quietly maneuvering around a large group of trees and stopped. They stood and shivered for close to a half an hour before Harry whispered into Hermione's ear. "It's freezing, come on. Whoever it was, they're long gone."

Hermione nodded, her teeth chattering. As Harry took a step forward, Hermione's foot was still on the hem of the cloak and when Harry moved toward the tent, Hermione's footing was completely thrown from beneath her, and she flew forward; her face making painful contact with a low tree branch that resonated through her entire skull.

She wanted to scream out, but bit her lip to the point where it actually drew blood. She knew her fall had elicited a loud sound and soon Harry was literally lying on top of her, covering the both of them with the invisibility cloak.

"What happened?" He whispered. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head, not daring herself to speak, and remained motionless on the cold forest floor. After several moments of silence, Harry stood, taking Hermione with him, and quietly maneuvered her back to the tent. The moment they were within the confines of the tent, Harry immediately cast a silencing charm.

"Hermione," Harry said as he lighted his wand. "Let me see your face."

Slowly, she turned to face him.

"Bloody hell," Harry gasped as he observed a deep gash across Hermione's left cheek. It was easily several centimeters long and Harry wagered it was equally as deep. Suddenly, his expression grew angry. "This wouldn't have happened if you would have just stayed in the tent."

Instantly, Hermione flared to life. "I think a small cut on my face is fair payment if you would have gone out there and been captured, killed, or whatever that person was wanting to do! Whomever they were, they were up to no good, Harry. No one goes sneaking around the forest in the middle of the night, so don't you dare turn this on me."

Harry's anger immediately dissipated, though he couldn't turn his gaze away from the bloody gash. "I would heal it," he said helplessly, "...but I tend to leave scars...I wouldn't trust myself to do that to your face. Do you think you'll be okay until tomorrow?"

Hermione tentatively brought her hand to her face, wincing as she brushed her cheek. "I'll be fine. Do you think you could try to clean it up a little? I don't want to get blood all over the pillow."

Harry quietly obliged to the task, siphoning the excess blood that was staining her pale cheek. "I don't know, Hermione. This really should be taken care of tonight. I think we should leave."

Hermione waved her hand dismissively at him. "I'll be fine, Harry. We have a job to do, and I'm not going to disappoint Buckley on my first real assignment. We still have another day of work here."

"But we've already done our job, haven't we? We didn't find any clues to the Malfoys, but someone is obviously searching the area, and that could be all Buckley needs."

"Don't patronize me, Harry," Hermione said fiercely. "You know as well as I that Buckley won't be satisfied unless he knows who it was that was wandering around out there."

"Then you go back," Harry pressed, "And I'll stay here and see what I can uncover."

Hermione shook her head. "No. I'm not leaving you alone, Harry. You said it yourself earlier today - everyone's on the buddy system."

"I'll be fine, Hermione," Harry urged, his eyes still scanning her cheek. "If you don't get that properly taken care of you might have a scar for the rest of your life."

"I'm not as vain as Ginny is, Harry. That won't work with me."

"I'm being serious, Hermione," he said as he brought his face closer to hers and squinted in observation. "It's really deep. You need a Healer."

Hermione sighed. "If anything happened to you because I left, I would never be able to forgive myself."

Harry nodded. "I know. But I'll be fine. It's almost dawn. I'll just poke around a bit longer and then return to England."

Hermione looked at him uncertainly. "Promise me, Harry. Promise me that you'll just look around a bit longer, and then you'll come home. I won't leave unless you give me your word."

He looked at her sincerely. "I promise, Hermione."

She scrutinized his face for a moment until he cried exasperatedly, "Merlin, would you like an Unbreakable Vow? I'll only be awhile longer. I promise."

Her expression must have relented because Harry was quickly picking up her things before she had time to object. Too tired to do anything else, Hermione merely wrapped her traveling cloak around her pajamas, not bothering to change. A moment later, Harry stood in front of her, handing her a satchel.

"Go ahead and just apparate straight to St. Mungo's - or Hogwarts, if you think Madame Pomfrey might be better."

Hermione nodded her head, her face hurting too much to argue, and she quickly and fiercely embraced her friend. "Send an owl to me the moment you get back to England."

"I will."

And with that, she turned on the spot and apparated back to England.


She didn't know why she was doing it.

There really was no logic in it. And if someone had asked her, she would have never of been able to given them a legitimate answer. So she merely stood quietly on the threshold to the private quarters of Severus Snape, ready to knock on the stone relief at four in the morning. She was silently wondering if the blow to her face had damaged some part of her brain.

He healed my finger without a trace of a scar.

That was her rationalization. If he had healed her finger without any notice that a cut had ever been there; she was confident that he could heal the gash on her face.

But why didn't she just go and see Poppy?

Too many damn stairs, for one thing.

Though the stairs might be nice in comparison to the awkwardness of standing at Snape's private quarters in the middle of the night.

Making up her mind, she knocked quietly.

Too late.

It only took a few seconds before she heard muffled footfalls behind the stone wall. And a few seconds after that, the relief bent in on itself and she was suddenly standing face to face with Severus Snape.

She had recited a small, rather pathetic speech in her mind four separate times before she knocked and was just about to rehearse it, when Snape's face went from annoyance to concern in the blink of an eye.

"What happened?" He demanded.

"I..,"

She must have looked pathetic, standing in a tank top and pajamas that were only covered by a greatly disheveled traveling cloak. She was quite certain that her hair was a rat's nest, and the blood trickling down her cheek probably didn't add to her beauty at the moment, either.

But he had already taken her by the wrist and was pulling her behind him into the dark room. As he sat her gently on the familiar sofa, Hermione felt an odd sensation of deja vu. He quickly summoned his chair with his wand and sat down in front of her, his dark eyes looking her over intently until they finally rested on the deep gash on her face.

"What happened?" He asked again. This time his voice was gentle, soft - almost as though he didn't trust himself to speak aloud.

Incomprehensibly shy of the bleeding gash on her cheek, Hermione found herself turning her head and looking at him from an odd angle. She soon realized she was being ridiculous, didn't I come here for the very reason of him healing it?, and looked him full in the face.

"Well, I...,"

I tripped over an invisibility cloak and smacked my face into a tree branch.

"There was a noise...I was startled...and I fell."

She watched him silently as he leaned forward and took her face in his hands, well clear of the tender spot, and brought his head down level with hers. She was ashamed to find hot tears welling up the moment his hands gently cradled her head. Closing her eyes, she felt his breath on her face; cool and fresh.

When she opened her eyes, he was regarding her intently and something stirred in his eyes - something incomprehensible, but something real. It was a massive shift; the curtain lifted, and Hermione was looking at him as though for the first time.

It was a change.

He swallowed and returned his gaze to her injured cheek. "Anywhere else? Is there anything else?"

Hermione shook her head beneath his hands. "No. I was hoping that you could...that is...that day at Grimmauld Place...and my finger..."

He took his hand and put it to her mouth, the pads of his fingertips nearly touching her lips. "Shhh...," he said gently. "Try not to move."

Hermione nodded her head slightly and Snape brought his ebony wand close to her face, took her chin with his free hand, and quietly murmured to himself as a brilliant flash of azure light erupted from his wand. She flinched and recoiled from the brightness of the light, but his hand steadied her, and Hermione could feel a warm, tingling sensation on her cheek as the light slowly dimmed.

Suddenly, it was all too much - the lack of sleep, her shaking body, and the throbbing in her cheek. She closed her eyes for a moment and felt dizzy. When she opened them again, the room appeared to be spinning, and her last consciousness thought before the blackness consumed her completely was of Snape speaking her name.

"Hermione."


A/N: WOAH! A long chapter; I know. I hope you all survived. I really did try to break it into two parts...but it just didn't quite fit. Plus, I really needed the bit with Snape at the end. :) As always, please take a moment and leave your thoughts. Do you like longer chapters? Shorter chapters? Or any other comments in general - I simply live for them. I must give credit to the grave digging scene and description to the wonderful author, Harlan Coben, from his novel, The Woods. Try it; you'll like it; it's a great read. Also, the opening sentence sequence is from the brilliant mind of Tandrelmairon. Thanks for the reviews so far! Let me know if I should keep going!