A/N: So quite a lot happens in this chapter... hope you enjoy it! Also, those are some good guesses, but you'll just have to wait and see just who is behind all this ;)

Once again: I don't own anything by J.K Rowling

Chapter Twenty: Whispers in the Dark

Hermione's POV

Hermione gasped as she shot up and frantically clutched the sheets below her. She frowned wondering why there were blankets and she hysterically rummaged through them, panic stricken as she awaited another curse. "My wand, my wa-NO LET GO OF ME," she cried as she felt two pairs of hands gently force her back down.

"Hermione, Hermione it's okay, you're safe now," Harry softly spoke.

Her eyes flashed to the boy beside her and then turned to see the other hands belonged to Ron. Instantly she felt her body relax into itself as she leaned back against the pillows. She panted as she tried to catch her breath and her eyes caught pools of grey staring intently back at her. Down by her feet sat Draco Malfoy, an expression on his face that Hermione didn't recognize. Unable to look away, she winced as her throat burned when she tried to speak.

"Here," Ron said as he handed her a glass of water.

She sighed as the cool drink trickled down her throat and wondered if there had been a calming draught added. Finally able to speak she turned to her two best friends and let out a small squeak. "What happened?" she asked as a lone tear fell down her cheek.

The pair glanced at each other before turning to the blonde man at the end of the bed and gave him a silent nod. Draco sighed as he switched places with Ron and took his seat next to Hermione's shoulders. Hermione turned her gaze to the blonde, shaggy hair, that always seemed so perfect, now a mess, sticking out in every which way. "Y-you," she started and fell silent as he solemnly nodded.

Draco looked up at Harry who only gave him a reassuring nod before he began to speak. "I came back to grab my cloak, it was draped on one of the arm chairs," he explained. "About halfway up the drive I heard a scream and bolted to the house, by the time I got there I thought I was too late. I fired a few spells at him but," Draco clenches his eyes shut as his hands started to shake. He felt a hand squeeze his shoulder and was surprised to see Ron smiling softly down at him.

"Mate, you did the best you could. If you'd gone after him, Hermione might not be here," he smiled, and Draco nodded in response.

"I rushed you here as fast as I could, you were coughing up blood and I had no way of reaching anyone but I brought you here and called for these two when the healers took you," he finished and Hermione noticed his jaw seemed rigid as if he were fighting back pain. She glanced down at his arm and winced.

"Your arm," she worried as she slowly placed a hand on his wrist.

Draco looked down to where his robes were sliced open. He had a deep cut just below his shoulder and it seemed to be bubbling with some type of green liquid. Draco shrugged. "The healer's said the green stuff will help clean the wound, I was hit with some pretty bad spells, but nothing to cause permanent damage. The more important question is how do you feel?" he asked with a frown.

"I-I think I'm okay," she said. Hermione tried to sit up but let out a single grunt as she grabbed at her ribcage.

"They said you had a few cracked ribs," Harry answered to her pain.

Hermione nodded and leaned back once again. "He was crushing me with his knees while he hit me with the Cruciatus Curse," she said blankly.

Ron let out a growl and started to pace back and forth. "I'll kill 'im, I'll find 'im and I'll kill 'im," he muttered.

Harry squeezed Hermione's hand and shook his head. "I should have stayed; we shouldn't have let you leave alone."

Hermione shook her head with a smile. "And let Ginny get hurt in the process? No, it wasn't anyone's fault," she sighed.

Draco was the only one hadn't said anything more and Hermione could see there were words on his lips but his eyes were set with confusion. "Draco?" she asked quietly.

The mention of his name had his head sharply turn to the small frame. His eyes seemed to be searching for an answer that he just couldn't find. "Do you remember anything else?" he asked.

Hermione nodded and closed her eyes. "I remember everything," she whispered. When she opened her eyes she began to recall the events starting with a knock at the door. She hesitated before telling them the part where he almost raped her, but she knew it had to be said. Ron's face turned green and Harry looked like he had seen a ghost, but Draco's face, Draco's face was frightening. His eyes seemed to flicker black as he recalled the man hovering over her still body.

"I-I think I saw you," she whispered as she turned to Draco, snapping him from his thoughts. "Just before everything went black I saw a streak of blonde and I think I knew I was safe then," she explained shyly.

Harry and Ron glanced at each other and decided to leave the two in peace. "I should go check on Ginny, she was worried sick, but I told her stay home for the baby," Harry smiled. "We'll both come by this afternoon," he added with a wave before he left the room.

Ron hesitated for a moment before he placed a chaste kiss on her forehead. "Take care of her Malfoy," he muttered before following Harry out the door as well.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" she asked Draco who was now staring at the corner of the bed.

"Hmm?" he asked vacantly.

Hermione squeezed his hand gently and smiled. "If you have work to do, I'll be okay here you know," she smiled bravely.

Draco smirked. "Considering my work relies heavily on your wellbeing, I think I'd be fired if I left your side," he tried to joke, but just couldn't find the humour in his voice.

Hermione closed her eyes and deeply inhaled before opening them again. "Thank you," she said, her eyes blurring over. She tried to hold back the tears but knew it was futile. She felt a rough thumb wipe away some of her tears and she smiled back at the face of the man it belonged to.

"You need to stop thanking me Granger," he sighed.

"What do you mean?" she frowned.

"The more you thank me, the more I feel like you need me, and the more I want to-" he cut himself off as his frustration built.

"The more you want to what?" she blinked.

"Nothing, just stop making me feel like you need me," he muttered as he tried to pull his hand from her grasp.

She held steadfast to his hand and forced him to look back at her as she spoke. "I do need you," she smiled truthfully. The stared at one another for five minutes before Draco cleared his throat and smiled back at her.

"Well then you better get used to my unwavering good looks," he said with a wink.

"Prat," she laughed as she finally pulled her hand away.

"Thank you," he sighed with a smile as he shut his eyes.

"For what?"

"For being alive," he answered honestly.

Hermione felt her heart flutter and all she could do was respond with a smile when a nurse came scuttling to her side. "We need to run a few tests on Miss Granger to see if she's healing appropriately. You can come back later this afternoon if you wish," the nurse smiled politely as she shooed Draco out the door. Hermione couldn't help but laugh as he clearly muttered a variety of names at the witch that was near shoving him out the door. As soon as Draco had left however, her heart began to sink into itself as she realized she was alone. She knew she wasn't physically alone, as there were nurses running around her bedside, but she felt empty as Draco left the room, and briefly wondered just how much she really needed him.

Four days had passed and Hermione was released from St. Mungo's. She was escorted by Harry back to his place where a small gathering was waiting for her return. She grinned and thanked all her friends for their support, and was surprised to see Kingsley and McGonagall there as well.

The elder witch had tears brimming her eyes as she wrapped Hermione into a gently hug. "It's good to see you're well dear," Minerva smiled.

"Thank you," Hermione couldn't help but shed a tear as she felt the warm embrace of her favourite professor.

"If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to write," McGonagall said as she pulled away.

Hermione hugged her professor once more. "Oh, Minerva, I'm so sorry I've brought this mess on everyone. I didn't think they would attack Hogwarts," she cried as she shook her head.

"Nonsense dear, no one expected it, it is not your fault, now you make sure you take care of yourself, alright?" Minerva said sternly with a smile.

Hermione nodded and made her way to the sofa where she leaned against Ginny's shoulder. Ginny wrapped an arm around her friend and gave her a comforting squeeze.

"I'm so glad you'll be staying with us for a while Hermione," Ginny sighed, thankful that her best friend was safe.

"I won't stay long, I'll find a new place as soon as I can," she sighed. "I can't place you in danger as well."

Ginny snorted. "Stay as long as you need to Hermione, no one is going to come near me, or my child," she mused.

"I'd like to see the witch or wizard that tried," Draco scoffed as he took a seat on the other side of Hermione.

"Damn right," Ginny nodded with a grin.

Hermione laughed at their exchange and wondered just when Draco had become so chummy with all of her friends. While they certainly had agreed to get along, it now seemed they genuinely enjoyed each other's company. "This is weird," she said.

Draco laughed and gave her a slight nudge. "You don't know the half of it, Red over here has forced me to come over for dinner every single night since you've been in the hospital, I'm not sure how much more of this I can take Granger, I might have to quit, I'm sorry. I'll hand in my resignation on Monday," he teased.

"No one can force you to go to dinner," Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Sure, but do I really want to be the one to argue with a pregnant woman?" Draco pretended to be afraid.

"Oh please, you jumped at the chance to have dinner with the Potters, if I didn't know any better I'd say you had a little crush," Ginny mocked.

"Red hair isn't my type," he smirked.

"Who said anything about your crush being me?" Ginny teased with a raised eyebrow.

Hermione snorted and nearly spat out her drink. "Ginny!"

But Draco's reaction nearly had them rolling on the floor. "Ah, you've caught me Red, I've been trying to infiltrate my way into your marriage this whole time and steal Saint Potter away from you," he chuckled.

Hermione decided she rather liked to hear Draco's laugh, it was rare, which made it all the more pleasant.

"What's this about my marriage?" Harry asked as he adjusted his glasses, clueless as to what was going on.

The three of them stared at each other and couldn't stop the laughter that exploded from them. They laughed even harder as Harry uncomfortably walked away. Ginny trailed after him and place a kiss on his cheek to reassure him everything was fine.

"They're disgusting," Draco grimaced as they watched Ginny whisper into Harry's ear.

"I think they're sweet," Hermione sighed at her two best friends. She felt a pair of eyes watching her and she turned to meet them with a blush. "What?"

Draco shrugged and turned his attention elsewhere. "You know, you're right, it's not safe for Ginny if you stayed here too long," he muttered.

Hermione frowned and crossed her legs beneath her. "I know."

"Even with the added protection, if they got into Hogwarts, I'm sure they could easily get into here," he continued.

"Where are you going with this Malfoy?" she sighed.

"Well, I've got room if you need a place to stay and get sick of the two love birds over there," he shrugged.

Hermione turned to him, her eyes searching for answers. "Why?"

"Because you can't go back to your place," he shrugged again.

"But yours is rather close to mine isn't it?" she frowned.

"The least likely they'll suspect it. I've spoken to Kingsley and he thinks it's a good idea. Besides, only two people know where I live at the moment. You and Blaise. Though I'm not sure how you even found my place, I made sure it was untraceable," he frowned.

"You brought me there once, remember?" she said with a smirk.

"Right, well anyway, it's an option if you don't want to stay here. Just give me a few days of notice so I can make arrangements."

"Thank you," she smiled.

Draco smirked. "What did I say about thanking me?"

"And what did I say about needing you," she whispered.

"Touché," he nodded before taking a sip from his drink. "What do you think they're talking about," Draco nodded in the direction of the hallway where they found Harry, Ron and Kingsley furiously discussing something important.

"No idea," Hermione frowned.

Harry's POV

"Sir, this is the biggest lead we've got, if we don't follow it now we could lose our chance," Harry whispered angrily, trying to keep his voice low.

"I understand Harry, but I can't just let you two go running off like you did last time, there are too many variables at play here, too many uncertainties," Kingsley sighed.

Harry was surprised to hear Ron speak next. "And we have too many uncertainties sitting around doing nothing as well!" he yelled. "My best friend nearly died and my sister is three months away from having a baby. I will not sit around with my thumb up my arse and watch while something else horrible happens. We need to go into the Forbidden Forest, and we need to do it now," he growled.

Harry was impressed. Ron was the last person he expected to ever willingly go head first into the dark forest, especially after their experiences with it over the years. He watched as Kingsley considered their options and could tell he was coming to the same conclusion each time.

"You're going to go whether I allow it or not aren't you?" he sighed. The two boys nodded and Kingsley straightened himself up. "Very well, you may investigate your lead, if you allow backup to accompany you. While I don't doubt your abilities, I also know both of you have a tendency to leap first before looking."

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance and nodded. "Fair enough Kingsley, thank you," Harry agreed as he held out his hand. The three men shook hands and made their way back into the other room to rejoin the party. Harry and Ron however gulped as they saw both Ginny and Hermione blocking their way with their hands on their hips. Draco was leaning against the doorway with an amused expression on his face.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Ginny growled.

"Harry, Ronald, don't think you two are going to running off to God knows where, getting yourself into all kinds of trouble without me," Hermione scolded as she dragged the two by the arms back into the hallway, away from listening ears. Ginny and Draco soon joined them, the latter only listening in out of intrigue.

Harry tried to smile but instantly looked down at the floorboards as wife glared daggers back at him. Once again, it was Ron's voice that surprised him. "Look 'Mione, Harry and I both know we'd get nowhere without you, but you need to stay here and protect Ginny. And Ginny don't start," they all jumped back at his tone as he pointed to his sister. "You will sit here and wait until we return. If you think of doing anything to put that child in harm's way, I'll, I'll kill you, you hear?" he growled.

No one dared to correct Ron by saying killing her would be counterproductive because they were all too stunned by his ferocity. Harry smiled as they all slowly nodded their heads, except Draco who had a strange smirk on his face. "What's with you Malfoy?" he scoffed.

"You'll hate me for saying this Potter, but I actually agree with both of you for once. I'll make sure both of them don't leave," he nodded and laughed as the two witches turned their glares back to him.

"Er- thanks Malfoy," Harry grimaced.

"Yeah, thanks mate," Ron offered after.

"Oh don't you two start thanking me too," Draco growled and stomped away mumbling under his breath.

Harry watched confusedly, not sure what just happened, but it was Hermione's laugh that only confused him more. "What was that about?" he frowned.

"Nothing," Hermione chuckled to herself as Ron and Harry looked at each other with a shrug.

"When are you leaving," Ginny squeaked softly.

"Not until Friday," Harry smiled, offering a reassuring hug to his wife.

"We'll make sure to be back Monday," Ron added with a comforting smile. Harry grunted as he felt a pair of arms squish him and Ron together.

"'Mione, you're crushing us," he sputtered out.

"Sorry, I just, come back safe boys," she sighed as she pulled back.

Harry and Ron nodded as they led the girls back into the other room, knowing there were still plenty of people that wanted to wish Hermione well. Harry was relieved that they managed to gain the support of his wife and his best friend, oddly enough through the help of Draco Malfoy. It was hard enough that they had to leave and he knew he would be constantly worried about Ginny, but this was something that needed to be done. He and Ron had drawn up plans weeks ago and decided that they'd be going with or without Kingsley's support. They originally intended on leaving the following week, but with the recent attack on Hermione, it became all the more urgent they left as soon as possible.

Ron's POV

"Ron lookout!" he could hear Harry call from behind him.

Ron rolled to the ground, narrowly dodging the spell fired from his left. He got to his feet and charged at the hooded figure that aimed in his direction, tackling them to the ground. He threw a fist hard into the figure's face, and was about rip the mask off when he felt himself fly backwards into a tree. "Fuck," he cursed as he tried to catch his breath, the wind having been knocked out of him. "Harry?" he called to his friend, relieved when he was soon joined by a pair of round glasses.

"We're surrounded," Harry yelled. "Where the hell is our backup?"

Ron growled at the four men that surrounded them. "When I say, fire as many spells as you can, got it?" Ron demanded. He took four breaths before screaming as loud as he could. "Now!" he yelled as he turned around and blasted the large tree with his wand. He jumped out of the way and began to fire spell after spell at their attackers while the tree came to the ground. Bodies flew in every direction to dodge the tree, providing a momentary distraction for Harry and Ron to escape.

"Good one Ron!" Harry commented.

"I have my moments," he panted as they ran through the forest. They finally came to a group of wizards and slowed their pace. "Where the hell have you been?" Ron growled as he shoved one of the Aurors to the ground. He was about to punch another when he could feel Harry's hand on his shoulder.

"Ron, look," Harry whispered, pointing to the Aurors' faces.

Ron looked to each and noticed their eyes were blank and the seemed to be confused as to what they were doing there.

"Confundus charm," Harry whispered and Ron nodded.

"Two of them are missing," Ron frowned as he re-counted their supposed back up.

"This was a set up," Harry gasped as Ron came to the same conclusion. "We should go; I'll send a patronus to Kingsley."

Ron watched as the silver stage erupted from Harry's wand and bolted off through the night. Harry turned to leave the forest when Ron stopped him. "What about them?" he asked nodded to the group of confused Aurors.

"Right," Harry frowned. "Oy, you lot, follow me!"

Ron watched as the men turned and slowly followed Harry out of the forest. When the last of them disappeared out of the trees Ron made to follow but a sound to his right caught his attention. He turned on his heels and ducked just in time to see a spell fire into the tree behind him. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the familiar Auror robes take off into the woods. "Bastard, come back here and fight!" he screamed as he chased behind the traitor.

"Ron!" Harry yelled after him, but he was too far ahead.

Ron raced through the branches firing multiple spells at the man and dodging countless others being fired back. He charged on, running as fast as he could before he finally felt himself catching up. He jumped over a large log and grabbed onto the man's legs as they both came crashing to the ground. Ron scrambled to his feet and fired a spell, knocking the man out. "Let's see who you are," he growled as he bent over to remove the dark mask, but before he could lift it, he felt himself blasted away to the side. He grabbed his arm and screamed as a dark figure marched towards him.

"Where's the girl," the familiar voice cackled.

Ron spat at Bellatrix's feet. "You'll have to kill me first," he barked.

Bellatrix laughed with glee. "Oh I'll do more than that," she licked her lips as she raised her wand.

Ron shut his eyes but felt relief as he heard Harry and several other shouts from behind him. He watched as Bellatrix and her supporters take off into the night, including the Auror that had betrayed them.

"Ron!" Harry shouted.

"Over here!" he called and smiled as his friend crouched in front of him.

Kingsley knelt down as well and placed a hand on Ron's shoulder. "Did you see who it was?"

Ron shook his head and winced as he tried to get to his feet, clutching at his arm the entire time. "Good thing you got here mate, I was a gonner," Ron sighed as they made their way out of the forest.

"We need to keep this quiet, who knows who else is involved," Kingsley whispered as the rejoined the rest of the Aurors.

Ron nodded as his eyes turned to stone. It was happening all over again, there was no one they could trust but each other.

Hermione's POV

Hermione paced the room Monday night, every five minutes glancing at the clock on the wall. Ginny's hand was pointed at home, but Harry's was stuck in 'Mortal Peril' for the last two days.

"You're wearing a hole in the carpet," Draco drawled from the sofa, but shut his mouth when Hermione glowered at him.

Ginny was curled up under a blanket on the other corner of the sofa, a cup of tea shaking in her hands.

"That's it, I'm going after them," Hermione growled as she marched for the door. She suddenly found herself stopped by a pair of hands as Draco appeared in front of her. "Move," she spat, trying to dodge around him. She suddenly felt herself being tossed over his shoulder. She kicked and punched at his back until she fell to the sofa with a huff.

"You're not going anywhere," he scolded.

Finally the three heads turned to the clock as they heard the familiar chime. Ginny let out a cry as she saw Harry's face slowly move to "Hospital". Before any of them could go anywhere however, a silver stag burst into the room. They sighed with relief as Harry's voice rang through the room.

"Hey, we're fine, Ron's got a broken arm, but that's about it. We think someone might have deceived us, one of the Aurors is on their side, we don't know who else might be a spy. We'll be home later tonight to tell you more. Love you Ginny," the patronus disappeared at the end of the message, and Hermione could feel the room start to relax.

However it was unsettling to think that they couldn't even trust the Auror department anymore. None of them wanted to say it, but they were all thinking it, this was starting to bigger than they had expected.

Hermione bolted from the room and up the stairs, searching through her stuff. Finally she pulled out the small black diary she had neglected and crashed to floor, tearing open the pages to where she had left of. She found herself unable to read however as she sobbed into her hands, fearful for the safety of her friends. Her only family she had left. She spent the rest of the evening sitting there, crying for all the lives that had been lost and the lives that could be taken from her. She was starting to understand how Harry felt. No one deserved to get hurt on her behalf.

A familiar voice pulled her from her sorrows and she quickly ran back down the stairs. Ginny had already thrown herself into Harry's arms so she flung herself to Ron. "Oh Ron are you alright?" she asked as she pulled away, noticing the sling that held his arm.

"Yeah I reckon I will be. They said I'd heal faster if I stayed there, but I'd rather be at home," he shrugged as he slouched down into the couch, exhaustion written all across his face.

"He was brilliant," Harry beamed before he too crashed to the sofa.

Ron blushed at the compliment as he made room for Ginny to squeeze herself between them.

Draco and Hermione sat in the two chairs opposite and Hermione brought her feet up to the edge of the seat, resting her head on her knees.

"Kingsley's raging," Harry finally said as he looked to Ron. "He doesn't know who to trust anymore."

"He has a right to," Ron growled, "those back stabbing cowards," he spat. "I quit this afternoon you know?" he added.

"Really?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah, I can't work with a bunch of cowards, going to go help George out for a bit in the shop, and help out Harry on the side. Harry said he couldn't quit, it would look to suspicious, but at least we have one person on the inside," Ron sighed.

Hermione nodded in agreement and smiled at her two friends. "I'm just relieved you two are alright," she yawned. "But we can discuss this more tomorrow. We should really all get some sleep, Ron, you can take my room, I'll sleep down here," she offered but Ron shook his head.

"No it's okay, I might pop by the Burrow, mum surely is having a mental breakdown by now," he smiled as he turned his way to the fireplace. As he disappeared into the flames she waved goodnight to Harry and Ginny who started to make their way up the staircase.

"Oh, Draco? Thanks for watching out for my girls," Harry smiled as he paused at the bottom of the stairs. "Feel free to crash on the couch tonight, it's late," he nodded as he followed his wife back up the steps.

Draco scratched the back of neck before standing up, unsure of what to do. "I should go really," he muttered as he made his way to the fireplace as well.

Hermione grabbed a hold of his elbow and stopped him. When he looked down at her with a frown she smiled up at him. "Stay?" she whispered, and sighed with relief as he nodded and sat back down in his chair.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes before Hermione conjured a pillow and some blankets, setting up a small bed for Draco, eager to busy herself before she had another mental breakdown. She was just fluffing the pillow for the fifth time when she felt fingers wrap around her wrist. She looked up to see Draco staring down at her with a tired look on his face.

"I heard you upstairs," he frowned.

Hermione looked to the ground but felt her head being lifted as he gently grasped her chin, tilting her head back to look at him.

"Are you okay?" he asked concerned.

Hermione nodded as she took a step backwards, only to find Draco taking a step forwards again.

"You can talk to me you know."

"Why don't you want me to keep saying thank you?" she asked hesitantly.

Draco sighed and lowered his hands. "Because, like I said, it makes me feel like you actually need me."

Hermione blinked. "And what do you want to do when that happens?"

Draco shook his head and tried to turn away only to find this time it was Hermione pulling him back to her. "I do need you Draco," she admitted. She swallowed back her tears and stared up into his eyes trying to tell him it was okay, trying to tell him that he was important, but all she could say was, "thank you."

It wasn't much, nor was it particularly long, but Draco leaned forward with a sigh and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He didn't try to deepen it, but just that simple touch was enough to send electricity jolting through Hermione's blood. She felt sometime stir inside her and she exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding as he stepped away.

"Goodnight Hermione," Draco whispered as he crawled into his makeshift bed.

"Goodnight Draco," she responded as she turned away and made her way up to her room, a single finger coming up to her lips.