Hermione Granger, still under Harry's invisibility cloak, turned the corner just in time to see Draco Malfoy enter the Room of Requirement. What is he doing in there? She asked herself as she reached the door. She tried the doorknob, but it wouldn't budge.
"Alohomora," she whispered, just under her breath. She tried the knob again, but the door remained firmly shut. Hermione sighed. Malfoy did something to lock the entrance to the Room of Requirement, and if Hermione knew him at all, then she also knew that he wouldn't be stupid enough to do a simple spell. Probably similar to what we did to the door for the D.A.
Deciding not to interrupt whatever Malfoy was doing in there, Hermione decided to wait for him in the corridor. She could confront him then. But, hours went by and still Malfoy remained inside. Hermione was confused; she didn't understand why Malfoy would go to the Room of Requirement in the first place, let alone what he could be doing in there for hours on end.
Hermione was falling asleep. She knew she couldn't wait for Draco any longer than she already had. Besides, she needed to return Harry's cloak to him before he noticed it was missing.
Once she was back inside the Gryffindor Common Room, Hermione went up the boys' dormitory stairs and headed to Harry's dorm. Silently, she opened the door and tiptoed across the room to Harry's trunk. She lifted the lid slowly, a creak issuing from the hinges. Harry moaned and turned in his sleep, causing Hermione to cease all movement and wait with bated breath. Seeing that Harry, and the other boys in the dorm room seemed to be peacefully asleep, Hermione took off Harry's cloak and placed it in the trunk. She slowly closed the lid, only a small groan coming from the hinges. Hermione kneeled there, listening intently. Everyone was still asleep, so Hermione rushed to the doorway and closed the door softly behind her. She leaned against the door and breathed a sigh of relief before heading to her own dorm.
Safe and sound in her bed, Hermione began to think about her night's endeavors. Dumbledore hadn't given much information about a certain Slytherin, but he had given her insight on another Malfoy entirely. Was Caelum a Malfoy? Hermione wondered. It makes sense; perhaps that was why Colette was crying. I'd cry that hard too if I found out the love of my life was a Malfoy.
Hermione was curious about Colette; she wanted to know more about her ancestor. She only hoped that Dumbledore could find out more about her. Until then, Hermione would have to settle for what she figured out in her dreams. With that thought, Hermione turned on her side, closed her eyes, and fell into a deep slumber.
It was like Hermione was watching a movie in her mind. She could see Colette clearly, kneeling before a man Hermione hadn't seen before and clutching at his robes. A woman stood to the man's side, looking down at Colette with poorly masked sympathy. The problem with this "movie," however, was the fact that it seemed to be on mute; Hermione couldn't hear a thing.
Colette was pleading with this man, tears streaming down her smooth cheeks in pools. The man was shouting at her, his hands motioning all around him. The woman next to him kept shaking her head back and forth, but for what reason, Hermione couldn't say.
Hermione bolted up straight in her bed and immediately grabbed her dream journal. So, Colette's parents are involved, Hermione thought as she scribbled down the contents of her dream. She knew, without a doubt, that the new comers to her dream were indeed Colette's parents. It wasn't something she simply deduced by their appearances, though she probably could have. No, Hermione had a gut feeling that told her so. When she first set eyes upon the couple, a surge of love ran through her, much like when she looked at her own parents.
How strange that I couldn't hear anything, Hermione thought as she began to get ready for the day. As she grabbed her school uniform and walked to the bathroom, Hermione couldn't help but think that all these memories were going to add up to something big, more than just an explanation as to how the DeFontes came to disappear.
All Hermione could learn now was what became of Colette. Over the last few months, she began to develop a deep connection to her ancestor. Hermione wanted to learn everything about her, mission or no mission.
* * * * *
"He won't listen to reason, Albus!" Severus Snape exclaimed, frustrated. "He thinks he's man enough to do it alone."
Albus looked over his half-moon spectacles at the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. "Then perhaps telling him simply will not be enough. Perhaps it is time to show him."
Snape paused in his pacing to look at the headmaster. "How? You really don't expect me to-"he paused, deciding to change his wording, "There's no other way around this, Albus. I can't force myself to do what you expect of me. I won't."
Dumbledore smiled briefly. "Like you said, Severus, There's no other way around it."
Snape collapsed in a nearby chair and put his head in his hands. "Draco can be shown some other way. He just has to."
A thoughtful look flashed in Dumbledore's eyes. "Perhaps not directly." At this, Snape's head jerked upwards. "But maybe you could show him indirectly. Tell me, Severus, how much do you trust Draco Malfoy?"
* * * * *
Hermione hadn't expected the Christmas party to turn into a game of hide-and-please-don't-seek, but almost since they'd arrived, she'd been trying to stay away from Cormac McLaggen. She had been going to ask Ron, but she'd had about all of "Won-Won" that she could stand. Asking McLaggen was supposed to be her revenge, but now she was wishing she had asked anybody, anybody else. Even- no! No, she wouldn't have done better to ask Draco; she knew she was supposed to be befriending him, but asking him to a party was something she wasn't ready for. Besides, that would have just slightly ruined the little progress she had made in her mission.
She looked over her shoulder and saw McLaggen coming. Fortunately, she saw someone up ahead she was much happier to see. "Hide me, Harry!" she pleaded, hurrying up to her friend.
"From who?" he wondered.
"Cormac McLaggen."
Harry stared at her with disbelief. "You're here with McLaggen?"
She groaned. "Yes, and believe me when I say I regret it. He makes Grawp seem like a gentleman." She saw McLaggen coming towards them. "Oh no!" She hurried away as fast as she could through the crowd.
"Thank Merlin your brother isn't here."
Hermione turned to see Dean talking with Ginny. The red head rolled her eyes. "I know. What right does he have to tell me who I can see? Especially with him snogging Lavender Brown at every opportunity. No surprise that they're together down by the lake right now."
Hearing that comment caused Hermione to become even more enraged at her so-called friend. Who did he think he was to simply overlook her like that?! It was fourth year all over. Hermione felt as if she was rejected by Ron yet again. And, it was one rejection too many.
No longer in the party mood, Hermione decided to just leave. She needed time alone to think. It seemed as if she'd been doing a lot of that lately. When Hermione had reached the last classroom at the end of the corridor, she heard voices. Curious, she stopped to listen.
It was Snape talking to Draco. At first Hermione couldn't make out the words, but she moved a bit closer, and what they were saying floated to her. She overheard Snape discussing with Draco not only his mission from Voldemort, but also the Unbreakable Vow. Before her mind could process anything, however, she heard movement from the other side of the door, and she knew it was best if she hurried on her way.
Wandering the halls of Hogwarts, Hermione recalled how in previous years, she had helped save powerful magical objects from evil wizards, been petrified by a basilisk, and dealt with many other dangers. But all those times, she had never felt alone. She'd always had her friends. Now, not only could she not tell them anything about her mission, but she also had to deal with Ron's disgusting new relationship with Lavender, trying to learn the secrets of ancestors she'd never known she had, and trying to befriend Draco. But, it was becoming more and more obvious that at least that part of her mission was doomed to failure. Draco was definitely on a mission from Voldemort, a mission he wanted, needed to succeed at as badly as she needed to succeed in hers. Looking back over the past months, everything became obvious to her. The Felix Felicus, Harry's suspicions, everything fell into place, and Hermione knew that Draco was a Death Eater. How was she ever supposed to get anywhere with him now?! Why did Dumbledore even want her to try? She didn't understand.
Walking down the corridors, Hermione couldn't help it; tears started to come, and once they began, there was no stopping them. She wasn't too particularly thrilled to be crying, much less crying in the corridor. She wasn't going to be seen that way if she could help it. Too upset to be completely aware of where she was, she ducked into the nearest room before realizing, too late, that it was Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Myrtle wasn't there, thank Merlin, but a certain blonde Slytherin was with his back to her.
"I don't need Snape's help!" Draco vowed to himself. He looked just as miserable as Hermione felt. A single tear track was on his cheek, and his voice sounded choked. "I can do this," he groaned, "although it would be nice to have someone to talk to, Myrtle!" he shouted to the absent ghost.
Same here, Hermione thought. She knew what she had to do. As much as she'd like to just find a different place away from Malfoy, she had to talk to him. Even without her missions, she would have felt like she had to help him at that moment. She couldn't help the sympathy for him that washed over her. Ignoring her better judgment, she spoke up.
"Hey, if you need someone to talk to, you can always talk to me." Draco jumped and spun around. Seeing Hermione there was a surprise to say the least. But he soon covered it up with a glare.
"Who said you could be here, mudblood?"
Like always, she ignored that foul word and tried to smile. "I couldn't help myself. It was like an open invitation," she said, reminding Draco of what he had said to her once. She absentmindedly wiped a tear from her own eye, causing Draco to look at her strangely. "No, honestly, it looks as though you need to get something off your chest."
Come to think of it, Draco had even been shutting out Crabbe and Goyle lately. Or at least, she hadn't seen them together much all year. That was strange; she never saw him without his bodyguards before this year. Apparently they weren't the sort of friends Draco felt he could really turn to when he needed help. And things had to be bad if the only person he felt he could talk to was Moaning Myrtle.
Suddenly, Draco was on the defensive. "How much did you overhear?"
It probably wouldn't be best to let him know just how much she had overheard, not only just then, but also the conversation that took place between Snape and himself as well. "Just you saying it would be nice to have someone to talk to," she answered.
"Well, I didn't mean you."
At this point, Hermione figured it would be best to use reverse psychology. So, she shrugged and said, "Fine. Suit yourself. Wait around for Moaning Myrtle then. I hear she has a big soft spot for handsome men who wander into the girls' room." After the words were out of her mouth, Hermione realized that she basically implied that she thought Draco was handsome. Well, it's too late now, she thought. I just hope to Merlin he didn't catch it.
However, the smirk spreading across Draco's face proved otherwise. "Seems like you're the one needing to get something off your chest. Does it feel good to finally admit that you find me simply irresistible, Granger?"
"Oh, yes, Malfoy. You're simply one of a kind," she replied sarcastically.
"Well then, as long as we're on the same page…" he let his sentence linger between them as he made himself cozy on the bathroom floor (after magically cleaning it, of course). "So, you wanted to talk, Granger, so talk."
Hermione gave him an incredulous look. "Me? Talk? However do you mean?"
Draco pointed to a tear she hadn't wiped away. His voice was uncharacteristically soft as he said, "I'm not the only one who needs someone to talk to."
And just like that, Hermione crumbled to the floor in front of Draco, a heart-wrenching sob escaping from her lips. "It's Ron. He's just a downright prat." Sob, sob, sniffle. "I mean, I know I'm not the most attractive girl in the world, but it would be nice if he could at least acknowledge that I am a girl. So, he's off gallivanting around with Lavender while I get completely ignored. And Harry's no use. He's decided he's going to remain neutral. And the two of them and Ginny are always at Quidditch practice while I'm left alone to-"she had almost said too much; she was about to tell Draco about her mission! She needed to be more careful in the future. She covered up her pause with another sniffle. "To figure everything out on my own. But now, I'm beginning to wonder if it's even worth the trouble."
Malfoy snorted. "The Weasley King is definitely not worth the trouble, Granger."
Hermione couldn't even muster up a glare, but simply replied with, "Don't call him that."
Draco huffed, but didn't respond.
"So what about you?" she asked, "What's got your wand in a knot?"
Malfoy pretended to sob dramatically. "My friends just don't understand. Pansy's off with Blaise and doesn't even notice I'm the man of her dreams," he mocked.
Hermione huffed angrily. "I knew it was a waste to even try to have a normal and civil conversation with you!" she stood up and looked down on him, rage dripping off of every word she spoke. "What possessed me to open up to you, I'll never know. I should have known all you'd do was mock me! You can just drop your burdens on your ghost friend. Or better yet, let them eat you alive, you insufferable ferret boy!"
She turned to leave, but just as she was about to open the door, she heard Malfoy behind her. "Weasley's right about one thing." She turned around, and Draco was looming above her, dangerously close. "He shouldn't acknowledge that you're a girl because you're not a girl at all, Granger. You've grown into quite the woman." Before she could comprehend what he had said, Malfoy gently pushed her to the side and was gone.