Draco felt the mirror in his pocket vibrate and sucked in a deep breath. It was time. In all this chaos, of course, it was time. Astoria didn't tolerate being out of the spotlight for long.
"Oh, bloody, buggering hell." Draco looked over at Granger with wide eyes. She was pressed between her mirrored guardians. Her eyes tracked right to his. "It's time."
"Open the mirror, Draco." Granger snapped the order, and he felt the panic fade away. She always took charge when he panicked or any other bloody time she felt like it. "I charmed the bloody thing for a reason."
"Pardon me." Draco bowed to her as he flipped open the small mirror. His father's face came into sight.
"Draco, you must come to St. Mungo's. Astoria is weakening." Lucius stark gaze spoke of all the things his father left unsaid. "Time is of the essence."
Draco felt his lungs expel all the air in his body. The world seemed to retreat and he locked his gaze onto Granger's. Her brown eyes had pulled him through so many horrible moments. She was moving towards him through the suddenly fuzzy room. He could see her getting closer and stumbled towards her.
"Tori." He choked out the only word running through his head. Tori was his home, his life, his everything. She was weakening. "Granger, we have to go. Get me to her, please."
"I'll never understand why they let that girl do whatever she wants." Molly shook her head slightly. "She's just a witch like all the rest of us."
"Hermione is quite brilliant." Arthur sighed. He was wasting his breath. It made no difference to Molly that the girl was easily the most talented witch since Morgana. It made no difference that the girl had saved Ron's life so many times the debt couldn't be calculated. Molly and Hermione would never truly get along.
"Well, her common sense is lacking." Molly huffed out an exasperated breath. "She should learn to leave well enough alone."
"I think her dedication is admirable." Arthur smiled. "She's done more for our family than we can ever repay."
"She's done what she should for our family. We took her in and guided her into the magical community." Molly scrunched up her face. "The girl washed dishes with her hands for Merlin's sake."
"Yes, you teaching her some housekeeping spells made all the difference." Arthur sighed his surrender. Molly would never truly appreciate Hermione. They were just too different. The mess with Ronald hadn't helped either.
"It certainly didn't teach her how to treat a fine young man like our Ronald." Molly raised her chin up in a motion he recognized all too well. The lecture was about to begin. "She needs to learn how a witch should treat her wizard. No decent man wants some puffed up hussy for a wife."
"No, dear, of course not." Arthur examined the long halls of the Department of Mysteries. The extension charms at work in this section were magnificent. He nodded and heard Molly continue her tirade. The words washed over him. He imagined watching Hermione's tellallvision again.
"We have to go." Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and started to drag her toward the door.
"I can get us there faster." Hermione pulled against him. "We will get there, and everything will be fine."
"It won't be fine." Draco started to shake. "She's weakening. You know what that means."
"Yes, I know what that means." Hermione took a deep breath and grabbed his hand tightly. "I know what it means and I swear on the magic I contain that Astoria will live through this. Your child, being a Malfoy, probably doesn't much care to wait."
"Shall we wing it?" Gideon grinned.
"Or walk through the flames?" Fabian raised a brow.
"There's no fireplace here." Andromeda frowned. "You can't floo."
"I don't need a fireplace tonight." Hermione grinned. She pulled her wand and cast the spell for a tiny bluebell flame.
"I think we might need something a bit bigger, my lady." Gideon looked at the dancing blue flames.
"Not that your little flicker isn't absolutely adorable." Fabian smirked at her and waggled his brows.
"Just because you two like to be flamboyant." Hermione waved her hand and a wall of blue flame grew out of the tiny flame. "Is that big enough?"
"Well, it seems more fitting." Fabian grabbed her hand and spun her about. "Our lady must travel in style."
"I think we've broken young Malfoy." Gideon frowned at Draco.
"I'm not crazy." Draco looked back at the large group of people assembled behind him before turning to the twins. "She can do this? She can walk us through the fire to Saint Mungo's?"
"She can walk us through the fire to anywhere her heart desires." Fabian glanced at the younger man and shrugged. "With the goddess riding her..."
"There's not much beyond her reach." Gideon shrugged. "Are you ready? We need to get a move on. I believe time is of the essence. Right."
Hermione shook her head and grabbed Draco's hand. He looked at her with the first glimmer of hope since he'd heard it was time. She smiled reassuringly at him.
"It's going to be a wonderful night." She squeezed his hand. "Have I led you wrong?"
"Only when you wanted to do so." He smirked at her.
"Those times don't count. You deserved every one." Hermione smiled. "Even the blue hair."
"No one deserves eight days of blue hair." Draco smiled at her.
"You'll feel the heat for about a second, but it's just like flooing." Hermione pulled him toward the blue flames. "Are you coming, boys?"
"Yes, my lady." They chorused.
Gideon and Fabian moved to flank their lady and her cohort. They turned to the still reeling group and offered up ridiculously overblown bows.
"We shall see you all soon." Gideon grinned. "It appears House Prewett is off to save a member of House Malfoy."
"There's a sentence I never thought I'd hear." Fabian shrugged. "Tell me we can mock Lucius a little bit, please."
"Goddess, save us all." Hermione shook her head and stepped into the flames with Draco at her side.
"I think we may be pushing it." Gideon laughed.
"Of course we are." Fabian smiled. "We must. How else do we know we're alive?"
Gideon spun into the flames.
"He always has to show off." Fabian turned toward the group and raised his hands up in exasperation. He spun and stepped through the flames as the door banged open.
