So this chapter is waaaay late. I'm sorry! My mind can be a very confusing place at times, and it sometimes takes a while to wade through unintelligible thoughts 'til I finally uncover a stroke of inspiration for a story. Hope you like!
Disclaimer- Harry Potter and all that it entails belong to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros.
Chapter 7: Double Agent
Narcissa Malfoy peeked in Hermione's room at Malfoy Manor. The July sun beamed through one of Hermione's windows as she sat in bed, lazily reading.
"Darling, Viktor's here to call on you again."
Hermione pouted slightly. Again? Viktor Krum's impromptu visits were beginning to wear on her nerves, as were her parent's obvious joy at her suitor. Krum was a pureblood, wealthy, International Quidditch star, none of which were reasons Hermione had ever liked him, but Lucius and Narcissa turned a blind eye as far as that was concerned.
She made her way down the steps toward the entrance hall and smiled politely at Viktor. While she still enjoyed his company, Hermione recognized that what she felt for the Quidditch star could never be more than friendship.
"Shall we?" Viktor extended his arm, and Hermione accepted, allowing herself to be led out onto the path leading away from the house.
"How are you, Viktor?" Hermione sighed softly.
Viktor exhaled and turned to face the pretty witch when they were several yards from the house. "Your parents are pleased when I call on you, yes?"
Hermione shrugged with a smile, "Of course they are. You're everything they would ever want for their only child."
Viktor exhaled again. "But I am thinking that you are not so pleased."
Hermione met his gaze, looking regretful. "I like you very much, Viktor. I'm just not positive it's the way you or my parents hope for... And they keep pushing for a union so forcefully that I admit it's had the opposite effect they'd intended."
He considered her words carefully for a minute, then nodded slowly. "But your parents vill be angry if we cease to be a couple?"
Hermione nodded. "I don't want to put any pressure on you, Viktor. You're a good person, who doesn't deserve to be strung along."
Viktor smiled thoughtfully and took Hermione's hand, kissing it gently. "Thank you for being honest vith me. I vish you the best, Her-mynony."
Hermione laughed and shared a parting embrace with her famous friend. "Thank you, Viktor. Good luck."
Lucius Malfoy was livid when Hermione finally admitted a month later that she and Viktor had decided to part ways, and Hermione had paid the price.
Aboard the Hogwarts Express Draco shrugged a self-conscious wave at Harry and Ron as he made his way to the Prefect compartment nervously. He knew Hermione would have also been made a Prefect, and he dreaded seeing the witch.
Sure enough, he spotted Hermione's figure slumped against the window as he sat, but she made no notice of his presence – or anyone else's for that matter.
Draco rolled his eyes and tried to converse with some of the other Prefects. He was still harboring a grudge against Hermione for dating Viktor Krum. As far as he knew it was still going on, and he'd voluntarily sit beneath the Whomping Willow before he'd bring up that subject with her.
Blaise Zabini, however, had no qualms in addressing the Malfoy heiress.
"Hey, Hermione, I heard from Parkinson about you and Krum. He's a barmy git for letting you get away." Blaise rested his hand on her knee, and Draco involuntarily tensed.
Hermione sighed and finally lifted her head. The compartment was suddenly filled with shocked inhales as each prefect caught a glimpse of Hermione's face. She had a black eye and red marks across half of her face.
"Bloody hell, 'Mione, what happened?" Blaise wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Oh – well, I'm actually the one who broke it off with Viktor…" Hermione stared at the ground and echoed in barely a whisper. "Father wasn't pleased."
A myriad of emotions swelled throughout Draco: fury at Hermione's father, relief that she had left Viktor, jealousy of Blaise's not-so-subtle advances.
"Don't worry, Hermione. We'll take care of you." Blaise held her more tightly, and Draco couldn't help but seethe in silence.
Dolores Umbridge was a nightmare, sent by the Ministry of Magic to 'teach' Defense against the Dark Arts. Harry had gotten a load of detentions for declaring that Voldemort had returned, and their class had seemingly no hands-on instruction to speak of at all.
Draco grew nervous. He wasn't one to worry too much about grades – save for Hermione Malfoy he was at the top of his class, but when it became clear that the Ministry was trying to hinder the students from practicing magic he, Ron, and Harry finally came up with the solution.
"So Dobby found a place for Dumbledore's Army," Ron grinned widely. "I knew I liked that little house elf."
And so the boys discovered The Room of Requirement, and Dumbledore's Army began to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts from Harry under Professor Umbridge's very nose.
Draco saw little of Hermione as the months passed. She kept mostly to herself and a few Ravenclaw and Slytherin friends, but with O.W.L.S. around the corner she was usually alone in the library, studying ravenously. It was just as well. He'd never quite forgiven her for kissing Viktor Krum, and with Quidditch – due to Harry, Fred, and George's lifelong ban – and D.A. meetings, he was far too busy to seek her out anyway.
It was April, and D.A. members were excited to learn how to conjure a Patronus.
"They're not supposed to be pretty, they're meant to protect you." Harry rolled his eyes at Cho Chang and her swan Patronus.
"Oh, bugger off, Harry," Draco grinned as his dragon breathed a vapory silver mist at his feet. "It's a wonder we can find enough to be happy about under Umbridge's Reign of Terror. Several murmurs of assent echoed around him.
"Oi, check out Draco's Patronus," Dean Thomas gaped in awe.
"Oh yes." Luna drifted over, her eyes sparkling with a dulled look of mischief. "It's the Dragon Granger."
"Blimey," Ron's mouth fell open. "Do you reckon you could be the one from story?"
"What story?" Draco frowned. He'd never heard the wizard equivalent of fairy tales.
Before anyone could answer however, Dobby the house-elf appeared and ran to Harry Potter's side, shaking with terror. Someone had tipped Umbridge off.
She was coming.
Dumbledore's Army came out unscathed, due solely to Dumbledore taking credit for the group's formation. Professor Dumbledore escaped before he could be taken by the Aurors, but after a Ministry Decree Hogwarts was left with none other than the horrible Professor Umbridge in his stead.
"Dumbledore will be back before long," said Ernie Macmillan confidently on the way back from Herbology after listening to Harry's account of what happened to Dumbledore. "They couldn't keep him away in our second year and they won't be able to this time. The Fat Friar told me…" He dropped his voice conspiratorially, so that Harry, Ron, and Draco had to lean closer to him to hear, "… that Umbridge tried to get back into his office last night after they'd searched the castle and grounds for him. Couldn't get past the gargoyle. The Head's office has sealed itself against her." Ernie smirked. "Apparently she had a right little tantrum…."
"That old bat," Draco scoffed. "Of course she fancied herself sitting up there in the Head's office, the stupid, puffed-up, power-crazy old—"
"Now, do you really want to finish that sentence, Granger?" Draco's heart lifted in spite of himself. Hermione's voice had a lilting quality that he'd all but forgotten over the past several months.
Sure enough, Hermione Malfoy had slid out from behind a door, closely followed by Crabbe and Goyle. Her brown eyes were filled with bitterness.
"You better watch yourself, or we'll have to dock points from your houses," she uttered stiffly.
"It's only teachers that can dock points from houses, Malfoy," said Ernie at once.
Crabbe and Goyle laughed, the former stepping forward with an evil sneer. "Not now that Umbridge has appointed us to the Inquisitorial Squad."
"That what?" Ron balked.
Hermione answered him. "The Inquisitorial Squad, Weasley." She pointed at a tiny silver "I" just beneath her prefect's badge. "A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, handpicked by Professor Umbridge… who, consequently, do have the power to dock points."
Crabbe and Goyle nodded stupidly, as if waiting for Hermione to provide a demonstration, but after several seconds their grins fell into perplexed frowns.
"Aren't you going to take some of their points, 'Mione?" Crabbe glared down at her.
"Of course I was; Don't be silly," she mumbled. "Er – five points from Draco for being rude about our new headmistress, and – five from Weasley for having… your shirt untucked."
She stalked away quickly, followed by a slightly more satisfied Crabbe and Goyle.
"She was bluffing," said Ernie, looking apprehensive. "They can't be allowed to dock points… that would be ridiculous… It would completely undermine the prefect system…"
But Harry, Ron, and Draco had turned automatically toward the giant hourglasses set in niches along the wall behind them, which recorded the House points, watching with dismayed expressions as Gryffindor lost ten points.
A month later OWL exams were over, but the Golden Trio had no time to relax. Harry had seen a vision of Sirius getting captured by Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. It made no logical sense, but when a friend is in danger – logic tends to fall by the wayside.
So with Luna and Ginny's help they were able to cause a diversion, so Harry could get to Umbridge's fireplace to try and contact Sirius. Unfortunately, Sirius was not at his house, and Umbridge's stealth sensors immediately gave them away.
"You foolish boy," Umbridge seethed, wrenching Harry from the fireplace. "Take his wand."
Draco watched as Hermione Malfoy grabbed the wand from Harry's robes and pocketed it loosely. Fury filled him at the sight of her treachery. The Hermione he had ever cared about was gone. He made no move to protest as she disarmed him of his own wand, his anger so inundating he could barely keep from shaking.
"I want to know why you are in my office," said Umbridge, shaking the fist clutching Harry's hair.
After a few unconvincing excuses, other members of the Inquisitorial Squad entered the office, holding Ron, Ginny, Luna, and Neville. Draco's face fell… Everything in their plan was falling apart. The minutes passed in a blur as Umbridge tried to coerce the information from Harry, but when it became clear that none of them would talk, Professor Umbridge heaved a resigned sigh.
"Very well," she said, and she pulled out her wand. "Very well… I am left with no alternative… This is more than a matter of school discipline… This is an issue of Ministry security… Yes… yes…"
"You are forcing me, Potter… I do not want to," said Umbridge, moving restlessly on the spot where she stood, "but sometimes circumstances justify the use… I am sure the Minister will understand that I had no choice…"
Hermione's mouth fell open, struggling to maintain indifference.
"The Cruciatus Curse ought to loosen your tongue," said Umbridge quietly.
"NO!" Draco shouted, mind racing. There had to be a way to stop this. Then a stroke of genius hit him as clear as day."We'll just have to tell her the truth, Potter."
"No way!" yelled Harry, staring at Draco in disbelief.
"She's going to crucio the information from you, mate. There's no point." Draco shook his head in defeat.
"Well, well, well!" said Umbridge, looking triumphant. "Come on then, boy."
Draco stared in unflinching seriousness at the professor. "We were looking for Dumbledore. We were supposed to tell him – that it's ready."
"What's ready?" demanded Umbridge. She grabbed Draco's shoulders and shook him slightly. "What's ready, boy?"
Draco pressed his lips together, looking pained at his admission. "The weapon."
Hermione watched in horror when Umbridge roughly escorted Harry and Draco out of the office. Thinking fast she realized she was inches from Luna Lovegood, who stood passively by her captor. As if she could read Hermione's thoughts, Luna turned ever so slightly until her eyes met with Hermione's.
Hermione's eyes widened, peering down at her pocket where Harry and Draco's wands lay. Take the wands, Luna. TAKE THE BLOODY WANDS! Hermione was practically screaming in her mind. A slow smile spread across Luna's lips in understanding, and in a swift motion the blonde Ravenclaw grabbed the wands and began firing hexes at the Inquisitorial Squad.
Chaos broke loose, and the last thing Hermione remembered was a jet of red light hitting her squarely in the chest.
Draco sat up on his four poster bed, having woken much too early. Voldemort's return was now public, Dumbledore was back at Hogwarts, Harry's godfather was dead… But all Draco could think about for the past four days was Lucius Malfoy's malicious expression at the Ministry of Magic. His thoughts turned to Hermione, and the unanticipated wave of anger sent him to his feet. He didn't care that it was the middle of the night. He needed to clear his head.
Draco was halfway down the steps when he spotted Dumbledore's jovial figure nearing the steps.
"Ah, Draco, out for a walk in the moonlight?" Dumbledore stared knowingly at the boy.
"I have a lot on my mind, sir."
Professor Dumbledore simply shrugged. "Yes, I daresay your confrontation with Mr. Malfoy at the Ministry left a lasting impression on your mind – an unsettling one, I gather?"
Draco's mouth fell open slightly. "It's just – Hermione…"
"Come with me, Mr. Granger. I have just been given something I think will help shed some light on your current dilemma."
Draco shook his head, slightly perplexed. How could Dumbledore possibly know about his problems?
"Skittles." The gargoyle stepped aside upon hearing the password, and Draco followed the headmaster into his office.
He was led to a stone basin filled with a cloudy, silver liquid.
"I hope, Draco, that Harry has mentioned this instrument to you before."
Draco nodded. "It's a pensieve, Professor."
"Right you are, Draco. Right you are. So of course, you understand its purpose."
He nodded again. "It's used to review one's memories from a more objective standpoint."
"Indeed, you are correct, Mr. Granger. It just so happens that someone asked me just yesterday to collect a portion of their memories, in hopes that they would convey information that might never come to light otherwise."
Draco shuffled nervously. "Whose are they, sir?"
Dumbledore pulled out a thin vial and proceeded to pour the contents into the basin of the pensieve. "These memories in particular belong to a house-elf – by the name of Dobby."
Draco's eyes narrowed. "But what do these memories have to do with me?"
The headmaster chuckled lightly. "Possibly nothing, Mr. Granger." Then with complete earnestness he continued, "but possibly everything."
Draco strode to the pensieve, watching a jumble of memories swirl around. Then, taking a deep breath, he leaned forward, plunging deep into Dobby's memories.
Hermione sat in an abandoned classroom with Dobby. She cast a silencing charm around the room and locked the door.
"Dobby, I know you've been looking after Harry and his friends. Are they all right?"
Dobby's eyes widened. "They look to be in good health, Miss Malfoy, in spite of many complaints concerning the new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor."
Hermione laughed then bit her lip gravely. "Dobby, you mustn't tell anyone I've asked for them. You know what could happen if my father finds out…"
Dobby shuddered, fighting the urge to hurt himself for thinking ill of his former master. "Your secret is safe with me, my mistress."
A wave of relief washed over Hermione's features. "Please promise me, Dobby, that you'll look after Harry, Ron, and – Draco," she choked slightly at the latter name, "And their friends. Help them any way you can – and keep an eye on Professor Umbridge. I don't trust her…"
Draco watched in disbelief. Hermione had been on their side – this whole time. Emotion swelled in his chest as another memory surfaced.
"Dobby is most sorry to hear that your name was defamed in the Quibbler, mistress."
Hermione feigned a sad smile. "Don't think on it, Dobby. Crabbe and Goyle have taken me under their wing since the article was published. Everything's progressing according to plan."
"And my mistress enjoys their company?"
"Merlin, no!" Hermione spat. "But it's better than being imperiused by father, or forced to date Viktor." She began to cry. "But I still can't be with the ones I care about, now can I?"
The house-elf frowned, then brightened suddenly. "Let Dobby fetch you some tea, mistress. It just might help."
Hermione sniffed and wiped her eyes, finally managing a smile. "It's all right, Dobby. I just have to be brave."
"And brave my mistress is!" Dobby squeaked. "Pretending to befriend Slytherins, so Harry Potter and his friends can be safe!"
"Thanks, Dobby," Hermione grinned, appearing measurably more courageous.
Draco felt his stomach lurch, hardly able to wait for the next memory.
"Dobby is most surprised to be summoned in such an odd setting." He peered around a darkened broom closet.
"I know this is unexpected, Dobby, but I've just heard from Umbridge herself that Harry Potter has been holding secret meetings to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Dobby's eyes protruded, and he let out a high-pitched squeak. "The dreadful High Inquisitor is aware of Harry Potter's doings in the Room of Requirement?"
"Yes, Dobby," Hermione shook the house-elf firmly. "You've got to warn them. She's on her way there now…"
Draco swore in astonishment. So that's how Dobby had known to warn them. Another of the house-elf's memories surfaced, and Draco realized it was from just yesterday. He vividly recalled Hermione in those exact clothes…
Hermione cried in the kitchens where Dobby was attempting to comfort her.
"Dobby thinks mistress was very heroic to defy the Inquisitorial Squad right under their noses."
"I hope Luna doesn't tell anyone what I did. It'll ruin everything." Hermione sniffed, and Dobby handed her a pink and yellow-striped sock to wipe her eyes. "I don't want to go home when school's over," she lamented.
"There, there, mistress. Dobby knows your mother loves you at least."
She let out an unexpected chuckle. "I suppose. But I know what father's planning, Dobby. I don't want to meet … him." Hermione shuddered.
"But mistress's Occlumency lessons with the Severus Snape will help when the time comes. Mistress will be of great aid to the side of good."
Hermione swallowed hard. "I'm scared, Dobby."
"Dobby believes Harry Potter will prevail in the end, mistress."
Hermione beamed through her tears. "I do too."
Draco nearly fell as he was thrust from the basin, Dobby's memories at an end. He could hardly wrap his mind around this flood of new information.
"She was helping us, Professor," Draco stared quizzically at the headmaster. "This whole time I thought she hated us, and she was trying to protect us."
"At peril of her own standing within the wizarding community, I might add." Dumbledore stood beside Draco, in thoughtful reflection.
"But why would she do that, sir?" Draco's mind spun.
"Perhaps, my boy, that is something you should ask her – when the opportunity presents itself."
Draco thanked the headmaster and stepped out quietly. Dawn was nearly approaching, and his mind was buzzing from these new revelations. And Hermione… she was everywhere in his thoughts. Draco wasn't sure what he would do the next time he saw her.
There were two lavatories on the Hogwarts Express: one near the back of the train and one near the front. Hermione wanted to catch one last glimpse of the boys she'd secretly grown to care for, so she made her way over to the back one nearest the Gryffindor compartments to wash up. Unfortunately, Draco was nowhere to be seen, and Hermione slinked back toward the Ravenclaws filled with disappointment.
Just as she passed the front lavatory an invisible force pulled her inside the tiny bathroom.
"Who's there?" Hermione withdrew her wand glancing anxiously in every direction.
Suddenly a veiled fabric that Hermione surmised was an invisibility cloak was swept off the figure of an equally anxious Draco Granger.
"Draco, what—"
Before another word could escape from her mouth Draco pulled her into him, planting a long-awaited kiss on her trembling lips. Hermione hesitated at first, overwhelmed with surprise at the suddenness of their encounter, but the tender feel of Draco's mouth on hers soon caused her to abandon reason. Their mouths moved in blissful synchrony, and Draco's hands caressed the backs of Hermione's shoulders. Hermione reacted to the touch enthusiastically, running her fingers through his cropped silvery-blond locks.
At last, Draco pulled back, breathing raggedly. "I've been wanting to do that for ages."
A grin grew on Hermione's lips. "Me too."
He whispered as she leaned into his chest. "I know what you did to help Harry this year, Hermione."
Hermione frowned slightly, suddenly brought back to reality. "Oh Merlin, Draco, we can't do this."
"Why not?" His piercing gaze nearly made Hermione's knees give way.
"Because I have to play my part…" She pushed him away sadly. "… until the time is right."
Draco said nothing, simply leaning in for one last parting kiss. It was delicate and painstaking, and the feel of Hermione's lips lingered on his own.
"Until the time is right," he whispered, hoping that time would come soon.
Thanks for reading! Next chapter begins to stray from the books a bit more, and Hermione will be in danger! The sunshine and daisies will just have to wait... Hope you liked it so far. :)
