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Chapter 10: The Room of Requirement

Hermione felt sick and afraid. Draco stared at her. "No way. You… you saw it too?"

Hermione looked at Draco in surprise. Then it clicked. He didn't like to sleep, fought against it, and others came to hear what he said at night. "You're a Seer." She whispered, stunned.

"Dreamer," he corrected, running a hand through his hair. He looked incredibly uncomfortable. "...It's only when I sleep too deeply."

Hermione stared at him. "But, you told Bellatrix-"

"That would have been a lie." Draco closed his eyes for a moment.

She shook her head no. "But you said it was only your family-"

"I lied." His eyes snapped open. "Hermione, people who actually see things don't go bragging about it!" Draco snapped. "Can you imagine how that ability could be taken advantage of? I'd have been drugged to the deepest sleep I've ever known and forced to see. Either side would've used me. It isn't an ability to make well known."

He would have? That was an awful idea! "What did you say that made them try to listen to you sleep?"

"My father at the department of mysteries. I predicted his failure." Draco didn't look pleased to say it.

Hermione's blood ran cold. She caught his hand quickly. "How accurate are your dreams?"

"Good enough. Nothing is ever written until it's done, though." Draco squeezed her hand back. "Where was he? I didn't recognize that location."

"It… it looked like the forbidden forest." Hermione shuddered. Visions were terrible. "We have to get to Hogwarts."

Draco stood. He reached into his pocket for his wand and froze. "Fuck… that werewolf took the wand."

"You'll have to stay here," Hermione stood, but Draco held her forearm in an iron grasp.

"Like hell I will." He snarled. "Granger, you didn't read all the signs in that dream. It's not just Potter. There's fighting- war. It's bad. You aren't going alone."

"You can't go unarmed again! You nearly died, Draco!" Hogsmeade. She'd have to apparate there first, and find a way to the school. There was no way to go directly to the grounds. She just had to shake him off.

"Then neither of us is going, Granger." He stood, following her as she tried to pull away.

"I can't just ignore that dream!" Hermione yanked her arm away. He caught her again. Both hands on both forearms. This time his grip hurt. That would leave bruises for sure. She winced in discomfort. "Let go!"

"Not a chance in hell." Draco growled. "If you go, I go. Got it?"

The door opened again. Narcissa stood there. She looked pale. "Draco- thank goodness you didn't leave yet." The woman strode across the room and pressed her wand into the back of his hand. "Don't you dare lose this, understand?"

Draco kissed his mother's cheek as he released one of Hermione's arms to take the wand. "Got it. Hogsmeade? Is that the way the others went?" Narcissa nodded, she held his hand just a little longer when he went to turn to Hermione. "But… Draco… be careful near the hidden chamber. I saw fire. I wish we had time to discuss my vision. There were so many warnings." Narcissa let him go. Draco finally let go of Hermione's arms and hugged his mother tightly. The witch was crying. "Just don't lose that wand, Draco. You'll be safe as long as you have it."

Just before they apparated, she cried out. "Keep the otter away from the seventh floor!"

Otter? Hermione looked at the woman in puzzlement for a moment. Her patronus? How did she know about that? Narcissa saw the look, went pale and tried to say more- but it was too late. They had turned on the spot and vanished.

Hermione and Draco appeared in Hogsmeade. It was strangely empty. Hermione could've sworn that she saw Percy bolting inside a building. She took Draco's hand in her own and ran. They stumbled inside and up a staircase.

A man stood there that she had seen at Dumbledore's funeral. Draco froze at the sight of the man and let go of her hand. Piercing blue eyes caught them both. He slammed a passage closed with a large portrait, and stood in front of it with his arms crossed.

Strained silence echoed off the walls. Maddeningly. Aberforth didn't take his eyes from Draco once. "Come to finish off the rest of the family, boy?"

"Aberforth, we need to get to Hogwarts," Hermione said in a rush. "Please. It's urgent."

"Passage closed," Aberforth replied seriously, coldly. "Besides… that bastard isn't going anywhere near my brother's school."

Draco was completely frozen. Paler than she had ever seen him. Hermione walked back to stand next to him and took his hand again, "He's here to help."

"Oh really, girl?" Aberforth frowned deeply. "Just which side do you think he'll help?"

"The one I'm on," Hermione snapped angrily. "Aberforth, I have to find Harry. Please, he's in danger."

"No shit," Aberforth sneered. "Don't you get snappy with me, Missy." He pointed a large hand at Draco's face. "This one getting closer to that idiot isn't going to do him any favors!"

Draco clenched his hands. His grasp hurt her fingers. She tightened her own hand around his. "I can tell you the faces of the dead, if you don't let us go after him."

"Bullshit. People are going to die whether you go or not."

"You don't seem to listen. I can tell you." Draco spat. He closed his eyes. They moved rapidly under his eyelids for a moment, then he started speaking. "Remus Lupin. Nymphadora Tonks. Fred Weasley. Dobby-"

Hermione felt sick. She interrupted. "Draco, how do you know that?"

"You don't know how to read the signs." Draco hissed, eyes snapping open. "This isn't new, Granger. It's been true my entire fucking life…" he turned his attention back to the man in front of him. "I can keep going, Aberforth. Eventually I'll find a dead face that you care about."

"...so you're a dreamer, are you?" Aberforth breathed. "Why are you divulging a secret like that? You know where the ministry will put you if it turns out you're an accurate reader?"

"We have to get through." Draco said icily. "I know how to change things, but not if you stay in my way."

Aberforth gave Draco a hard stare. "And what happens when all this is said and done, boy?" Draco clenched his jaw. "...Damn. You have seen the end of all this, haven't you?"

"Yes." Hermione felt her breath catch. She stared at Draco. He kept talking. "Three options. One way or another, this ends today."

"Oh yeah? Three? And just how do they all start?"

"Here." Draco replied quietly. "It all starts to snowball from here. The more time you waste, the more likely it is that the faces I see dead stay that way."

"You picked a fine fucking time to grow a spine, Malfoy." Aberforth hissed. He was furious. "This changes nothing. You hear me? Dobby!" A crack and the house elf appeared. "These two need to get in the castle. Is there another elf that can help?"

"Hermione Granger!" Dobby beamed. Then saw Draco and his eyes widened. "Draco... M-Malfoy…" he blinked in surprise then quickly answered. "Yes. Yes sir- Winky, sir. Winky!"

The elf appeared next to Dobby. Aberforth frowned deeply at Draco before they vanished with a chorus of loud cracks. "Dobby and Winky must return to the kitchen!" Dobby took Winky by the hand and vanished quickly. It seemed he was not comfortable in the presence of Draco.

"Tell me you were lying to Aberforth," Hermione whispered in the strangely silent hall. Her heart was aching. When his eyes met hers, she felt the pain swell.

"...I didn't." Draco said quietly. He looked away from her. "...it was the truth."

"What the fuck?!" A voice suddenly bellowed nearby. Hermione and Draco both whirled to see Ron, half into the room of requirement. Harry popped his head out, looking pale. "Get over here! I could use another set of eyes!"

They rushed into the room and the door shut softly behind them.

"Hermione, you shouldn't be here," Harry hissed. His eyes flickered to Draco and then to Ron. "Lupin… he… he told me that you-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Harry Potter!" Hermione snapped. Ron would try to kill Draco if he thought she was pregnant, and this was not the time! "What are we doing here?"

"Hold on- what did Lupin say?" Ron frowned.

"There is no time for this," Draco muttered. "Potter, what are you looking for?"

"Can I actually count on you to help?" Harry mused aloud.

"The less time in this room, the better," Draco spat.

"Fair. Okay, we're looking for the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw." Harry gestured to the room. "It's like a tiara. I know I've seen it in here. It's up on a bust, with a wig. We don't have much time."

They split up and began to search. Draco came around a bend that met Hermione's path. He put a finger to his lips, holding a hand out to stop her. Hermione froze. He stepped out to the open crossing of four paths.

"Crabbe. Goyle." Draco's tone was crisp and unbothered.

"Fuck! Draco? Where did you come from? How'd you get in here?"

"Same as you," Draco drawled, sounding bored.

"Vanishing cabinet," one of them said proudly. "Bloody useful thing you fixed...but how did you get to it? We heard them Weasley's got you."

"Got loose. Went back, heard you two were sneaking in here and decided to follow along. Besides, that family can't hold onto a fistful of galleons. How the hell do you expect them to hang on to me?" Draco smirked coldly.

"Too right," Crabbe laughed quietly. "That Potter, he's in here, I know it. Heard him talking. We can catch him. You're gonna help us, Malfoy. Not stealing the credit for this one."

"He isn't this way," Draco jerked his thumb over his shoulder, down the path where Hermione stood frozen. "Just came that direction." His eyes turned to hers for a brief moment and then looked away again. "Only way someone could hide is if they had a disillusionment charm on 'em. And they'd have to be real fucking small. That path is narrow."

Hermione took the hint. She cast an invisible disillusionment charm over herself in two silent flicks.

"You forgot about his ruddy cloak." Goyle's face peered over the corner. Hermione held her breath.

"That makes him invisible. He'd still be solid as a door." Draco rolled his eyes. "Which way did you hear him?"

The three were off. Hermione followed them silently, carefully. Somewhere in her gut, she felt a warning not to stay too close, but not to get too far away from Draco. She searched as they moved. Then she froze again. Draco, Crabbe and Goyle had found Harry. Ron was sneaking up another pathway, looking ready to kill Draco for this betrayal.

Hermione rushed over, dropping the spell when she was out of sight. Ron looked startled for a moment. She shook her head no at Ron, leaning closer and whispering very quietly in his ear. "Draco's still trying to help. Just wait."

Several awful heartbeats later- Goyle shot but a killing curse at Harry. Ron was done waiting. He shot a stunning curse at the trio but it missed. Then he took off after Crabbe. Draco had tried to restrain the two brutes, trying to make them understand the Dark Lord wanted to be there one to finish him off. Goyle hit him. Draco's wand clattered away.

Hermione felt Narcissa's warning blast in her mind. Goyle laughed when he saw Hermione and shot a killing curse at her. Missed by an inch. She dove behind a stack of objects. Harry went after Goyle. They started off down a path. Hermione summoned Draco's wand from the stack of things and knelt by him, pressing it into his hands. He coughed as he sat up, a hand pressed to his gut where he'd been hit.

"Don't lose this." Hermione felt her voice shake. He cracked open an eye and held the wand tightly. Silently, he nodded and forced himself to his feet.

"This is bad," Draco muttered. "Those two don't think. They just do what they're told. I've never seen them act on their own."

"RUN!"

Ron shot past them, and grabbed Hermione by the hand, dragging her away. She grabbed Draco. They took off. The smell of smoke caught their noses.

"Ron, what happened?!" Hermione yelped.

"Goyle- he set the place on fire! I can't put it out!" Ron looked frightened. "I swear there were monsters in the flames."

"Fiendfyre." Hermione and Draco said it together.

"Fuck." Draco muttered. "We have to get out of here."

They crashed into Harry. He toppled to the floor. Another body was under them. Hermione screamed. Goyle. Goyle was dead. Everyone scrambled to their feet, except Harry. "The spell ricocheted." Harry whispered. "He tried to kill me. I ducked. It… it bounced off something…"

Draco took Harry by the shirt and punched him across the face. "No time for this, Potter. Get up." He yanked Harry to his feet. "We have to get out of here. Everything's going up in flames."

A terrible scream lit up the air. Draco's head snapped towards it. "Crabbe!"

For one moment, the scream intensified. Then it was gone. Hermione trembled. "This is the room of requirement, right?" Ron yelled suddenly, "We need a fucking way out! So, help us!"

A stack clattered to the floor nearby. Four broomsticks slid to the top of the pile. The boys all snatched one up. Hermione shook her head no. "I can't."

"Hermione, now is not the time-" Ron growled, throwing a broom at her.

"No, Ron, I can't! I never got the broom to work first year!" Hermione felt tears. The smoke was terrible now, stinging her eyes. "I can't fly."

Draco stood behind her suddenly, "I can manage two people. Just hold on tight."

She did. His arms kept her balanced, and several times kept her from falling off the broom. A terrible fire was consuming everything, swirling through the entire room, trying to grab them as they flew. Harry darted back, yelling as he passed them. "I see it! Go! I'll meet you at the door!"

Ron was out first. They crashed into a wall at their exit. There was no way to slow down. Hermione landed on top of Draco. His arms wrapped at her waist. He was coughing. So was she. "You're learning... how to fly after this," Draco managed as coughs subsided. "Honestly, how are you best friends with Harry Potter and you don't know how to fly?" Hermione shook her head no, coughing harder. She didn't like heights, and broomsticks were incredibly stubborn towards her. Draco sneered at her slightly, narrowing his eyes and taking her jaw in his hand, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Not optional."

Harry crashed near Ron. He sat up quickly and let go of a silver tiara. It disintegrated. And screamed. Another horcrux down.

The sounds of fighting grew louder around the corner. They all rushed towards it. Fred and Percy were fighting side by side. Hermione saw all the boys jump in, starting to throw spells. A dementor was approaching Ron from behind.

"Are you actually joking, Perc?" Fred called over the noise.

Ron didn't see! She shot a patronus at it. Draco saw it and froze, whirling towards her, running to her. Fred did, too. The red haired twin was pulling her down, face pale. "Hermione, what are you doing here?!"

Then, the hallway exploded.

Hermione felt strange. Her eyes fluttered open. Her vision swam. Sound was gone. There was an awful ringing in her ears. She groaned, bringing a hand to her head. Wet, sticky- her hand came away. Blood.

Draco came into focus. She saw his lips moving. Ron was next to him. Both were pale. Percy was helping Fred up to his knees behind them. Both of the elder Weasley's stared at Draco. Ron didn't look away from her face. Hermione started to giggle. She couldn't stop. Sound was coming back. Warped and muffled, but she heard words.

"Why's she laughing like that?" Ron muttered.

"She's in shock," Draco growled. His arms gingerly helped her sit up. "These two can't keep fighting. We have to hide them."

"They can't stay alone!" Percy snapped.

"Mum's gonna kill you if she just had a miscarriage." Fred muttered towards Draco.

Ron went rigid. He turned to stare at Fred, then Hermione. "What?"

"Don't be daft, Ron, people can only heal that way if they have a child together." Percy snapped. Draco froze.

Hermione wanted to explain. She wanted to tell them they were wrong, but tears broke down her face as the laughter kept bubbling out of her without control. Why was she crying? Ron stared at her, then surprised her, pressing a hand lightly to her stomach. He started to shake.

"...I'll kill him," Ron hissed, eyes flaring. He stood, looking around the halls. "Which bastard blew up the corridor? I'll kill him for taking that from her."

And that was not what she expected. Every Weasley had a curious kind of respect for pregnancy. Ron took off down the hall. Percy lifted Fred, and Draco lifted Hermione. They found an abandoned classroom.

Hermione was laid flat on the ground. That was a lot easier than sitting up. Fred stayed with his back up against the wall. Percy threatened Draco with a steady wand to his neck as they settled them into the room. "You never should have brought her here."

"She didn't give me a choice," Draco hissed. "The witch was going, with or without me."

Hermione felt herself laughing. She heard it, but it felt like someone else. She was shaking, she suddenly realized. And she felt very cold.

"You stay here and guard them. And take care of my brother. I think he's got a concussion, too."

"C'mon, Percy, you can do better," Fred grumbled. "Lost my marbles, knocked a screw loose-"

"Fred, shut the fuck up! If you hadn't gotten down…" Percy's voice died for a moment. Then he strode to the door. "I'll send help if I can. Just keep them safe. Silence the room. Her voice is carrying."

Then the door shut. She heard Percy running to rejoin the fray. Hermione couldn't stop laughing. She put a hand over her mouth, cringing. Why couldn't she stop? She felt it when Draco cast the silencing charm over the room. Draco came next to them. Fred nearly collapsed. Draco caught him quickly, and laid him out carefully on the floor next to Hermione, being careful with his skull. "Why'd your patronus have to be a fucking otter?" Draco growled at Hermione after he had settled Fred down, brushing the hair from her face.

"It's cold in here," Fred muttered. Hermione nodded in agreement. That was a mistake. It hurt. She stopped, raising a hand to her skull. That was the first promise of the pain that lingered beyond the laughter. It was going to be hell when the giddiness faded. Suddenly, she felt a blanket being stretched out over her body.

"Well thanks, ferret," Fred joked. "How about some water?"

"People in shock can't have water. You need to wait." Draco summoned pillows carefully under their heads.

Hermione didn't like that answer. She agreed with Fred's request. Somewhere, her logical mind knew it was true, though. The way she was laughing was starting to grate her nerves. "Can't stop," she managed between giggles, "Why can't I stop?"

Draco's hand found hers and gave a reassuring squeeze. He leaned over her and kissed her forehead very gently. His other hand began to stroke her hair. She closed her eyes. That felt a little better. Fred spoke. "Pain's gonna suck when you stop, believe me. Wish I was laughing, too. Don't worry about it, Hermione, it's not-" he paused for a moment. Hermione could tell he saw what Draco was doing. Draco must've seen it too, but he merely sat up, taking his hand from hers, then started to gently run both hands along her skull. Not enough to hurt, but with enough pressure that it relieved some of the pain that she felt creeping into her senses. Hermione let her hand fall to her chest, shoulders relaxing slightly as he continued. "...at least now I know you didn't rape her." Fred muttered.

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