3 months later, Draco left the Room of Requirements, with a smile on his face. The bird came back, alive. One mission down...one to go. He looked up to see Hermione standing there, tears in her eyes.
"It was you. Wasn't it?" She said, trying very hard to hold back tears. "The poison mead. The cursed necklace. It was you."
Draco didn't say anything. He felt like the Sectumsempra cruse had hit him all over again.
"And your silence gives me the answer." Finally. The tears started pouring down her face. He moved towards her but she shook her head. "Why?"
"Because...I am a coward." He whispered. "Hermione. I never meant for anyone to get hurt."
"You don't poison mead or curse a necklace and don't expect anyone to get hurt!" She said, her voice raising. "I could handle whatever it was that you were doing in that room. But this...killing people..."
"It wasn't indented for them!" He yelled, finally losing the battle within himself.
"And that makes it better?!" She finally screamed. Her emotions getting out of hand. "You are not a killer, Draco!"
"He is going to kill me!" They both stopped. Hermione's tear soaked face staring him down. Draco finally couldn't keep it in. He had to tell someone. "He is going to kill me if I don't kill Dumbledore."
Silence echoed the hall. Draco didn't even know that tears were falling down his face till one fell onto his arm. All the pent up emotions he was feeling over the past few months. All the anger and hurt and cowardliness where finally pouring out of him like a faucet on high.
"But guess what? I can't do it. So I poisoned the mead, hoping he would drink it. Cursed the necklace, hoping he would touch it. I didn't mean for Weasley or the Bell girl to get hurt." He finally slide down the wall.
"Draco..." She slowly made her way to him. She crouched in front him, slowly wiping the tears from his face. "You don't have..."
"The choice has been made for me. I have to protect my mum and dad." He whispered over the tears.
She continued to wipe away his tears and rub his back. She had never seen him so broken before. He wasn't Malfoy, the death eater. He was, Draco, a boy trying to keep himself and his family alive. In that moment, she made up her mind.
"Draco, there are other ways..." She said
He shook his head. "You don't understand, Hermione. You can't protect me. Not from him."
"Come." She said, getting up and holding her hands out for him. He looked up at her, confused. He finally took her hands and she pulled him with her.
"We can't tell him! Hermione, he will know. He will know and he will kill me!" Draco was panicking. Hermione had lead him to Dumbledore's office. She turned around and placed her hands on his arms.
"Draco. We aren't here to tell him. Just. Just trust me. Ok?" She looked at him, pleading with her eyes. Finally he nodded.
"Alright. I trust you."
She muttered the password and they head up to Dumbledore's office. Draco had only been in here a few times before, but he always had Snape or another teacher with him. He never had to deal with the old man one on one. It didn't help that he was panicking that the Dark Lord would know he was here and think he ratting out to the old man.
"Hello, Miss. Granger. Mr. Malfoy." Dumbledore said, with a small smile.
"Professor." Hermione said, smiled back. Draco didn't make eye contact him, still fearing that he will be found out.
"What can I do for you?" He said, placing his hands on top of his desk.
"I was hoping...you could possibly, perform a...binding spell." Hermione said very fast. Dumbledore raised an eye brow and Draco looked at her, completely shocked.
"Hermione..."
"Miss. Granger, you do know what a binding spell entails?" Dumbledore said, cutting Draco off.
She nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Hermione, you can't do this." Draco said, turning her to face him. She looked in right in his eyes. "You can't do this!"
"Yes, I can."
"Miss. Granger, you do know that if you do this, you will never be allowed to marry another. You will be bound to Mr. Malfoy forever."
Draco hadn't taken his eyes off of Hermione. Her face showed no emotion while he was littered with it.
"Hermione, there is a reason why binding spells are no longer practiced!" Draco cried. "It is permanent, no going back."
"I know that they are no longer practiced! And I am okay with it!"
Dumbledore watched the two of them go back and forth. He had a small smile on his face. He knew that Hermione had been spending more and more time with young mister Malfoy and he knew it was good. For both of them. He watched as Draco leaned down and rested his head against hers.
"Hermione, you can't protect me." Draco whispered to her. She shook her head.
"I can try" She whispered back. He pulled his head back to look at her. He knew it was a losing battle. He knew that no matter how much he voiced his dislike, deep down in the pit of his stomach, he wanted her to want to protect him.
"Okay."
Dumbledore smiled. "Very well. We will need some help."
Snape wouldn't say he was thrilled when Dumbledore requested his help in a binding spell. But he couldn't say he was surprised. He knew that Draco had been spending time with the Granger girl. Deep down he knew it was for the best. Draco had been pushed into a corner and had no way out. It was why he had made the Unbreakable Vow with his mother to protect Draco.
"Alright. Draco, Miss. Granger. Please grab each others left forearms." Snape stated.
Hermione and Draco stood in the middle of Dumbledore's office with Snape on one side and Dumbledore on the other. The grabbed each others left arms. Hermione placed her hand right over the Dark Mark, she gently rubbed her fingers over it, which was concealed under a glamor spell. Draco gave her a weak smile.
"Now. This will hurt. The binding spell will bind your souls together. Protecting each other, feeling each others emotions. You will be marked with a tattoo as well."
"Where will the tattoo go?" Hermione asked.
"That is for the binding spell to decided." Dumbledore said.
The two of them nodded. Dumbledore and Snape placed their wands on the linked arms.
"Aeternitas namque tenetur. Manibus habebunt invicem." The two wizards said together. A bright light wrapped around Draco and Hermione's arms. "Dolor et tristitia et gaudium et partem vitae." Once they muttered the last words, the light sunk into the arms causing the two teens to scream in pain.
The light faded, the pain vanished. Draco looked down, a huge phoenix rising from the flames, covered his whole right forearm. He looked up to see Hermione holding her left side.
"Are you okay?" He moved towards her. She nodded.
"Yes. Just my side..."
Draco gently raised her shirt a little. She blushed. Dumbledore and Snape had already turned their back to give them some privacy. On her left side, from hip to top of her ribs was a tattoo of peacock. He gave her a smile and pulled her shirt back down. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before the two Professors turned back.
"Thank you Professors." Hermione said.
Snape nodded and Dumbledore smiled.
"Yes. Thank you." Draco still haven't looked Dumbledore in the eyes.
Dumbledore nodded. "Off you go."
Draco and Hermione started to move towards the door of the office before Dumbledore stopped them. "Miss. Granger, a word real fast."
Hermione nodded and looked at Draco. "I will meet you in our spot." He nodded and left. Snape following behind. She moved towards the desk and sat down.
"I am sure you are aware of the missions that young Mister Malfoy has been put on it." He said, sitting down behind his desk. She nodded. "And yet, you still want to protect him. In fact, you pretty much just married him."
She nodded. "He is...different. I know he is being forced into a life he doesn't really want to be apart of. But he is stuck because he wants to protect the ones he loves."
He gave her a smile. "That he does. I know that Draco's mission is to kill me. But I also know that I can not confront him without it tipping off Voldemort." He gave her a sad look. "He truly is stuck with no really way out. But he has you. And that in itself is enough to fight for what is right."
Hermione gave him a puzzled look. He knew. He already knew and wasn't doing anything about it.
"But sir..."
The door opened and Harry walked in.
"Hermione? Is everything ok?" He rushed towards her. She nodded her head.
"Uh. Yes. I was just leaving." She gave him a quick hug and turned to leave.
"Miss. Granger. Your books." Dumbledore held up two black leather books. She once again gave him a puzzled look and took them.
"Thank you."
"The books were a way for you two to communicate, correct?"
Draco and Hermione nodded at Ginny, who had been hanging on to every word the couple said.
"It was like Riddle's diary. It was the safest way for us to talk." Hermione said, she had tissues in her hands. Talking about Draco's near death experience was difficult for her to talk about.
"So. He knew he was going to die." Lupin stated. The news that Dumbledore not only knew he was going to die but allowed Malfoy to work on his missions while in school was a little...unsettling.
Hermione nodded. "I honestly couldn't tell you how Dumbledore's mind works."
Lupin nodded. "Everything he does, he does it with a mea..."
Draco screamed, holding his left arm. The mark was moving around. "Fuck!" He doubled over, holding his arm close to his body.
"Draco!" Everyone rushed to him before the door opened.
"We have a problem." Tonk said, moving into the room. "Death Eater just arrived outside."
Lupin cursed. "Of course. I was wondering why it was taking them so long to call the boys back. They have been tracking them."
"Draco. Did you know this?" Hermione said quietly
He shook his head. "No. I allowed us to get captured. This is my fault. I was selfish in wanting to see you."
"Whatever the reason is, we can't stay here." Lupin said, standing up. Tonk nodded.
"Ginny. Did Harry tell you about any..."
Before Tonk could finish her sentence, there was a loud bang and whole house shook.
Author Note:
Here is chapter 10! Don't worry, we aren't over yet!
Phoenix: Rebirth
Peacock: Integrity and the beauty we can achieve when we show our true colors.
Thanks to all who favorited, reviewed and followed this story!
xxDomo
Chapter 11 Preview:
"Where is Potter?!"
Hermione didn't answer. She quickly looked at Draco, who was trying hard to keep his face emotionless. She could feel his fear and anger. When the curse hit her, she screamed and Draco fell to the floor in agonizing pain.