Chapter 8 – Daunting Subject

"I think... With me through one of the employee entrances; with the visitor entrance your presence will be registered." The silence stretched through the library as Theo spoke, each on his own thoughts, Hermione's brow was furrowed.

"Do you still flush in? Because then I can hardly side along with you." Hermione's voice sounded taciturn, and her gaze wasn't resting on anyone; or even anything specific, Theo's almost smug voice responded immediately. "If you're a lower level employee... Yes. I'm a level two employee, the old Magical Law Enforcement department; that means I floo in directly."

Hermione's eyes met Theo's; they gazed intently at each other, silent communication passing between them. After a loaded silence she gave a bare nod, which he returned. "Then we floo in. And Travers apparates me to Draco, and back to you. You floo us out."

Theo frowned then, but before he could respond Charlie spoke up, confusion on his face. "Apparates you in? Meaning Theo is not going with you to the dungeons?" Hermione swiveled to look him in the eye and then nodded in confirmation at his observation, a very slight smirk playing on her mouth.

"No. Theo needs to keep to a normal schedule. He needs to be in his office. Available as well as visible." Theo nodded thoughtfully at that, agreeing with Hermione, but this time Lucius spoke.

"Will the cloak cover both you and Draco?" Ginny nodded and responded before Hermione could, her voice quiet but sure, a distant smile on her face. "Yes. It would cover Hermione, Ron, and Harry as teenagers. It covered me and Harry as well in later teen years."

Hermione wanted to smile at the realisation of what that meant, she had suspected that Harry and Ginny had been 'closer' than mere snogging in their sixth year, and the wistful smile on Ginny's face currently clearly indicated a very fond memory.

"The journey to my office will be the second trickiest part, the journey back to the floo's, which will be the most difficult part; and getting you out. The Floo's are wide, but three will be a tight fit..." Theo's voice trailed off, a deeply thoughtful look on his face; everyone was looking at him expectantly as if he was some magician with all the answers and ideas.

"But we should fit. You'll have to hold on close though. Hermione, if we're going to do this, we do it the day after tomorrow, no delaying." He turned his intense eyes on her, probing her for any sign of reluctance, he found none. In fact, he couldn't find any form of emotion at all, it confused him vastly. "Yes Theo. No delaying. I suggest we all go sleep now. Theo, make necessary arrangements with Travers tomorrow."

With that she stood up and without waiting for any response, she walked to the double doors, at the doors she stopped and turned, letting her eyes roam over the occupants, taking them in really for the first time. She let her wall drop the briefest bit then, thinking about this odd group who offered their help and services, against their Order's wishes, a group that wanted to help her, assist her. Maybe all was not lost for her.

"Thank you..."

And with that, she left before anyone could say anything further to her.

DMHG

She was running again, slashing with the sword through underbrush and shrubs, blood trickling down her exposed arms and face, yet she didn't stop. Her feet were bare; she felt the twigs and sharp rocks piercing her feet.
Finally, she cleared the jungle, once more into the field that had haunted her in her past dreams, the familiar wolf howling in the distance; Hermione couldn't stop running though, she knew all the beast and creatures were behind her.

In the distance she made out Draco, her heart rate pitched in exhilaration at the sight of him, even though she was exhausted, her legs feeling like lead; sweat plastering her clothes to her body, she didn't stop running to him.

But as she neared him, the death eaters materialised around him, and she saw the signs of torture on his now frail body, Hermione slowed down; coming to a standstill barely ten feet in front of them.

The sword was now dangling helplessly next to her, her face frozen in the shock of seeing Draco so close, and yet she knew she couldn't get near him, for then they would drag him away as in her previous dreams; so now she stood and watched what would happen next instead.

No werewolf came this time, instead, Voldemort himself stepped forward, and with his dry laugh he pointed his wand up to the sky, suddenly Hermione was screaming in shock as dead rabbits rained from the sky all around her.

Her gaze darted frantically, seeing dead beady eyes piling all around her, bloody fur and cut off feet and heads, and then the dry cackle of Voldemort reached her; her eyes swiveled to the red eyes of him.

This timehe held out his arms as if inviting her into a hug, yet she stood still between the piles of dead rabbits and blood, anxiously she looked at them, then back to him.

"Come now. It's your destiny. I'm waiting."

His voice hissed just like she knew it, and he had that stiff, fake smile on his mouth, it sends chills down her spine that only he could.
Her eyes then moved to Draco, death eaters were holding him, and she saw the desperate light in in his gaze, her own eyes locking his frantically; then the dry laugh came again.

"So it's Him. He'll be dead soon."

As Hermione watched the death eaters dragged him back, he tried fighting them off, screaming her name over and over again; but they just kept dragging him back until he was gone.
Hermione stood frozen this time, knowing it would be of no use to scream and run after him, instead she stood between the piles of rabbits, their dead eyes glaring at her, mocking her.

"Do you like them? It's every single one that you have killed in the last decade. It's what you do, what you're good at; killing."

Her eyes only narrowed fractionally, then she turned them on him, but this time instead of panic and fear, her eyes were cold, dead.

"You made me. But remember, the pupil kills the tutor. I will kill you."

He only laughed at her then, a mocking sound, but no emotion showed on her face, her dead gaze just looking at him placidly.

"Not before I kill every single one you care about still. Not before you have my heir. You are chosen."

DMHG

She woke up with sweat beading over her face, her breathing heavy and laboured, the images of her nightmare swirling around. Her head pounded though, like a major migraine, her eyes was tearing as she blinked furiously trying to focus through the fog of pain pounding away in her brain. The nightmare was different, somehow more coordinated, more real.

She could smell the stale metallic of the blood from the bodies from the rabbits, the breeze in her hair, against her face, she could feel the earth beneath her bare feet; could even feel the stickiness of the blood that had flowed from the rabbit bodies over the ground, around her feet. Congealing between her toes. She felt her blood pounding in her ears. Her stomach clenching with the adrenaline that was rushing through her, even now she still felt the after effects from the adrenaline rush slowly ebbing from her body.

It was almost like when Harry and Voldemort connected, the realisation crashed over her like cold water, causing her to gasp.

But how could it be possible, Harry and Voldemort had a connection, part of Voldemort's soul was attached to Harry's, and she didn't have any connection to him? So how could he communicate with her then? The thoughts baffled her mind, effectively keeping her from falling asleep once more, so instead, she lay in the darkness of her room, dissecting the dream; or Voldemort's vision rather.

The dead rabbits haunted her, and his words about them being everyone she had killed, making it hundreds of them, kept circling her mind, she was surprised the bodies of the three people she had killed hadn't been there also. But she knew; these dreams would only increasing in their onslaught, eventually the bodies would also be there, Voldemort was breaking her further; he didn't give up on her because she got whisked away from the arena, oh no, he was only battering her defences further.

Draco's desperate eyes kept flashing before her as well, as if he knew what was being done to her, as if he was afraid for her, and not for himself at all, she felt her entire body quiver with the images and thoughts of Draco, she needed to get him out; she had to get him out.

He gave everything for her, she needed to give something back and when she got him out she'll let them get away from England and let them go to France, even the Americas if the need arises; distance and un-involvement should sever the connection Voldemort somehow made with her. They will get away, away from this; and somehow between their brokenness, they will raise their child in safety and without the craziness of England.

Hermione had been avoiding all thoughts of the pregnancy, she hadn't done anything to prepare or even come to closure about it although she knew she had to face it, had to start preparing; but for as long as her stomach remained flat and the symptoms at bay with potions, it was easy to ignore that there was a life growing inside of her.

She let her hands travel down her rib cage to come to rest on her still flat stomach, her fingers splaying open across her skin as she let herself think of the baby now. For the first time she thought of the heartbeat she knew the foetus had, the little fingers, the little toes, she was going to almost ten weeks now, she knew the sex could be determined also now with a charm yet she hadn't done it.

She hadn't done any of the charms available to check the baby or health or anything, if Narcissa and Tessa didn't do forced mandatory checks, she wouldn't even know if the foetus was developing according to milestones. Her hands were still holding her stomach, she needed to start accepting the pregnancy, and take the responsibility; Draco would want to know how she and the baby were doing, maybe even know if it would be a son or daughter and she needed to know what to answer him.

And so Hermione stood up, lighted her wand and slipped out to go down to the library, her footsteps soft and muted on the carpeted hallways.

When she arrived in the library she lighted the chandeliers with a wandless spell, then went to the shelf she knew held the basic charms and spell works, her finger traced the titles; finally finding the book that centered around pregnancy and early motherhood. Pulling the book from the shelf she walked to her favourite window bench and made herself comfortable, and then with a deep breath, she opened the book to start her new line of education; the next daunting subject.

Motherhood.