Chapter 21 – In the Air

Quick Note: I do not own anything from the wonderful world of Harry Potter by JK Rowling. That includes any scenes I may have derived or paraphrased from the original text.

Malfoy Manor – 07/29/1994

"Pardon? Excuse me, Severus, but you can't possibly be talking about Hermione, my Hermione. She would nev–"

"Narcissa, please," interjected the man in question, frowning deeply, "I understand that you are not prepared for this, especially with Lucius–"

"It is true then?" she interrupted, placing her cup of tea back in its plate with a definitive clang. "Lucius is trying to help the… the Dark Lord return."

There was a sort of grim acceptance in her eyes as she stared at Snape. It was almost as though she'd been expecting this. A small pang of sympathy shot through the professor. He knew Narcissa did believe in pure-blood bigotry, but she had never supported the complete eradication of anyone with impure blood.

"Yes," said Snape quietly, "This is precisely the reason I came to you and not to Lucius. I know you are a bit more reasonable, and you might be able to tolerate this until, perhaps… the appropriate time–"

"My daughter is cavorting with Harry Potter, a Weasley, and a mud-blood, Severus," she hissed, her blue eyes narrowing, "You can't possibly think this is an appropriate thing for her to be doing at all!"

"Of course not," he replied swiftly, his black eyes flashing to hers, "I understand your… concerns. I just believe you should give her some time. If Lucius does succeed in revitalizing the Dark Lord, there is the possibility she may change her mind. The return of the Dark Lord may sway her decision."

"If she is indeed close friends with these three," Narcissa's expression darkened, "does this mean she was present when Potter helped release Black from the Azkaban charges?"

"No, she was not," he lied smoothly, "I ensured she was in her dormitory at the time."

There's no need to worry her.

Narcissa nodded before frowning and looking away.

"Please keep her safe when I can't, Severus," she murmured, swallowing, "The same goes for Oberon. As for Hermione's friends… we will deal with it when the Dark Lord returns…"

08/24/1994

Dear Hermione,

Sorry for the late response. I know it's been almost two weeks since your last letter and that's because Sirius had been scrambling to clean Grimmauld Place, get my school supplies (we can barely go to Diagon Alley anymore, there are too many people asking too many questions and wanting autographs from both of us), and find a place to keep Sharpclaw until the renovations are over. To answer your question, yes, we did get rid of many of the horrible portraits in the house, but we had to demolish the walls to do it. Sirius and I just finished rebuilding with the Weasleys' help. Ron and Draco have come over a few times and they've been so freaked out by them, especially Sirius's mum. After Ron accidentally slammed his head against one of the walls (the entry way is really narrow), Sirius finally decided to get rid of them once and for all. It was really funny, though. He blacked out and Draco laughed so hard, he cried. I wish you'd been here to see that. Anyway, I've just finished packing for the World Cup tomorrow. I'm really excited to see it. Ron's told me the Bulgarians are the best, especially some guy by the name of Crum (I think that's how you spell the bloke's name) while the twins claim it's the Irish. Draco has been quiet about the entire thing, but he claims it's because he hasn't been feeling very good. I think he's keeping something from us. Oh, and Ginny's started to tease Ron about his love for Crum. I don't blame her. He's obsessed, Hermione. Bloody obsessed.

Write back soon.

Harry

08/25/1994

One perk of being a Malfoy was the luxury of sleeping in. After months on the run during the war, Hermione found that sleep could be one of the most treasured and elusive things in the world. Thanks to Lucius's status within the ministry, Hermione was able to sleep in today, rather than get up and get ready much like she had on this same day all those years ago for the Quidditch World Cup. There was no need for them to try and get a good spot to put up a tent or to even get good seats – everything was already reserved for them, they just needed to show up.

Just thinking about the match made her anxious. She knew that Barty Crouch Jr. was on the loose, but what would happen now that Pettigrew was out of the picture? A sinking feeling found its way into the pit of her stomach and Hermione realized she really had no idea. The timeline would be drastically different now.

How will Voldemort be resurrected? No… who will resurrect him?

That was the question, wasn't it? How would he come back this year?

Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, Hermione threw the covers off and walked over to the bathroom. Now wasn't the time to dwell on it. She'd figure out what to do later on. Instead, she allowed excitement to fill her at the prospect of seeing Harry, Ron… and a certain brunet again.

The Burrow

Unable to sleep properly, Draco had spent a majority of the night restless. He was excited for the match and, dare he say it, a bit nervous to see Hermione again. After all that had transpired between them at King's Cross in June, he wasn't sure what to think or expect. Maybe he was looking too far into it – maybe their hug and… everything else… didn't mean anything.

Or maybe it did…

Feeling extremely awkward, Draco shifted in bed and checked the time. He had another fifteen minutes until Mrs. Weasley would come in to wake them. Shoving everything having to do with a certain ambiguous blonde out of his head, he closed his eyes.

The Dark Lord was supposed to return this year – at the end of the year, to be exact.

But how?

Perhaps Hermione had come up with–

Shaking his head, he pushed her out of his mind once again. It seemed everything he thought nowadays circled back to her.

Draco sighed.

I'm fucking pathetic.

A half hour later…

"So Percy's still in bed?" grumbled Fred, "Why can't I bloody Apparate–"

"Because you're not of age yet and haven't passed your test!" snapped Mrs. Weasley, entirely too awake for how early it was in the morning. "By the way you two are going…"

Draco tuned everyone out as he turned to his porridge. Although he'd made fun of the Weasleys numerous times before for not having even a fraction of the amount of money his father had, he found himself admitting that Mrs. Weasley's cooking was mouthwateringly delicious – just as good, if not better, than what the house elves made in Malfoy Manor.

Being half-awake the entire night had left him starving this morning, and he quickly dug in and devoured the entire thing as Mr. Weasley explained Apparition and Splinching to Harry.

Before he knew it, they were out in the chilly morning air. The moon was still high in the sky as they walked away from the Burrow and to the Portkey.

After a difficult trek up a hill – which seemed to last forever – they finally made it to the place where the object was hidden.

"Alright," called out Arthur, looking around, "Try to find it. It'll look inconspicuous – something muggles wouldn't pick up."

"Over here, Arthur! We've got it!"

Looking up, Draco caught sight of two people trudging over to the group. One was very familiar – Cedric Diggory. He could only assume the other was his father. Feeling slightly uncomfortable as pleasantries were exchanged, Draco tried hard not to think about the fact that the Hufflepuff's death would most likely mark the end of the Triwizard Tournament this year.

Moving almost mechanically, Draco held on to the boot as Arthur counted down. Being a Malfoy, he only knew the mechanics of the Portkey and the way it worked; he'd never had the good – or bad, depending on the way you looked at it – fortune of ever using one. He'd heard about how uncomfortable it was and found himself dreading the sensation.

Just as Mr. Weasley finished the countdown, Draco felt the almost painful sensation of being tugged by the navel as they all disappeared to the site of the Quidditch World Cup. It felt as though a very rough wind was buffeting all of them as colors swirled around them in a frenzy. Weasel King's and Potter's shoulders bumped into his own violently and he found himself wincing and wishing it would be over already. Just as he started feeling sick, his feet slammed onto the ground and, buckling, he collapsed.

Landing hard on his back, Draco groaned.

I will never willingly use a fucking Portkey again.

Quidditch Pitch

The seats were spectacular… if one was a Quidditch enthusiast, that is. However, Hermione was almost the complete opposite. She shifted in her seat as she tried to think of a way to warn everyone about the Death Eater rally later tonight. Unable to come up with any good reason to leave Narcissa, Oberon, and Lucius, Hermione decided she'd just slink away as quietly as she could when the moment presented itself.

Although she had everything sorted out, anxiety continued to gnaw away at her as the game continued. Merlin, she hoped everything would go according to plan. She really couldn't afford any problems–

"KRUM GETS THE SNITCH, BUT IRELAND WINS!"

A loud bellow from Ludo Bagman – the announcer – over the loud speaker resounded at an almost earsplitting level throughout the arena, and the Irish were yelling, overjoyed. Hermione turned to look at the scoreboard: BULGARIA – 160, IRELAND – 170.

It's over already?

She turned to her right to see Oberon scowling.

"I bet a hundred galleons on the Bulgarians–"

"You bet?!" she hissed, her eyes widening, "You're not allowed! You're underage–"

He just shrugged, smirking.

"I have my ways."

Her mouth dropped.

"But–"

"Come," hissed Lucius, his grey eyes furious as he interrupted their conversation before sweeping them out of the Minister's box. "I lost almost 1,000 galleons because Krum couldn't wait to end the bloody game. I think it's time to go–"

"Where is the closest Apparition point again, Lucius?" asked Narcissa as she sourly surveyed the joyful Irish fans.

"It's almost a mile from our tent, to the East," he murmured, walking quickly, "Get out of here as quickly as possible–"

"Why?" piped up Hermione, slightly alarmed.

"It's our turn to take back the Wizarding world, Hermione," he replied, coldly brushing past a bunch of loud, Irish partiers.

Her eyes widened. She knew what that meant. She also knew that meant it was time.

"Could I stay and watch?" she asked, trying to sound excited.

Lucius paused suddenly and turned to look at her, an eyebrow raised. He surveyed her for a moment before a ghost of a smirk found its way onto his face.

"Really?" he asked softly, "You're interested?"

Hermione plastered a smile on her face.

"Yes."

He looked at her for a moment before nodding ever so slightly.

"Go home, Narcissa. If Hermione wants to watch, she can."

"But Lucius–" Narcissa protested, her blue eyes widening in disbelief.

"Nothing will happen to her. I'll see to it," he said softly, "I promise. Now go."

Narcissa glanced at them both before nodding and sweeping Oberon away with her, despite his protests.

"Why can't I stay–" whined 'Ron.

"Because you're not old enough," Hermione heard Narcissa reply curtly before the two were out of sight.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to Lucius to find him watching her.

"You never cease to make me proud," he remarked before whisking a now slightly red Hermione out of the stadium.

"Do you see that tree over there? Stay there," he hissed, pointing towards a tall tree – the tallest, from what she could tell – in the vicinity. "You may watch, as you requested, but nothing else. Do you understand?"

She nodded tersely, swallowing and trying to prepare herself.

"Of course. Will you come find me after?"

He gave her a quick nod before vanishing into the crowd.

Turning to the tree, she walked as quickly as possible towards it. When she finally made it, the blonde paused and appraised it. Why did it seem so familiar? A moment later, a memory resurfaced…

Everyone was pushing and shoving others to get out of the way as quickly as possible. The acrid stench of fire and smoke permeated the air and Hermione ran, Ron and Harry by her side, away from the dark figures making their way towards them.

A quiet yelp sounded and Hermione saw Ron – he'd fallen on the ground.

"Tripped over a tree root," muttered the redhead angrily, dusting dirt off his clothes as Hermione and Harry helped him back to his feet.

"Well… with feet that size, it would be hard not to," drawled an extremely familiar voice.

The three turned sharply to find Draco Malfoy standing alone and leaning against a tree quite casually. It was a stark contrast to the screaming wizards and witches running around just meters away and Hermione's blood boiled.

After Ron cursed him quite descriptively, Malfoy stepped away from the tree, his eyes glittering.

"Shouldn't you all be getting a move on? You wouldn't want her to be spotted, now would you?"

He nodded at her, his pale eyes catching hers for a brief moment, before turning once more to stare at Ron and Harry.

Hermione's anger increased.

"And what does that mean?" she replied defiantly.

"Granger," he replied, as though the answer were obvious, "They're after Muggles. D'you want to be showing off your knickers in midair? Because if you do, hang around… they're coming this way and it'd give us all a laugh."

Taking a second look at the tree, Hermione recognized it as the one Malfoy had stood by all those years ago. The Slytherin also realized he'd, in an indirect way, helped them that night.

I wonder why… she thought, frowning slightly before a sudden, loud blast was heard to her left.

Jumping, she spun around to see flames. Another bang resounded and more flames erupted from tents. High pitched screams and wails were heard as more tents were set aflame and wizards and witches ran away to save themselves from the fire. After another tent was set on fire, Hermione could see them moving through the chaos – Death Eaters. Swallowing hard and taking a few steps backward, she made for the other side of the campsite. She needed to find the Weasleys' tent and fast.

Hermione thanked Merlin she had a good enough memory to recall where they'd hitched their tent in her original fourth year and sprinted toward the area. The screams were getting louder and she tried hard to ignore them as she finally caught sight of it. The tent was shabbier than many of the others and looked exactly like it had all those years ago.

Not waiting, she exploded into it to see eleven pairs of astonished eyes flash her way.

"Hermione?" asked Harry, and Ron in unison.

"You guys have to run!" she yelled, breathing heavily, "There are Death Eaters burning tents on the other side!"

It grew deadly quiet until another loud bang resounded – much closer – and more screams erupted. Arthur and Sirius, who had also come to the World Cup, ran outside before coming back in, their eyes wide.

"We have to go! Hermione's right! There's no time to take anything, just a jacket!" yelled Sirius.

Everyone jumped into action.

"Hermione, why would you come and warn us?!"

"I can't very well not tell you guys, can I, Harry?" she panted before she ran out of the tent, everyone following in her wake.

They were much closer now. Close enough for Hermione to see them torturing muggles and hear their drunken laughs as they burned down more tents and created even more chaos.

"We're going to help the Ministry!" called out Arthur as Bill, Charlie, and Percy erupted from the tent entrance as well, wands out and ready. "Head for the forest and stick together! Sirius and I will come fetch you after we've sorted things out here! Now go!"

"C'mon," Fred called out, grabbing Ginny's hand and leading the way towards the trees. Following him, Hermione ran quickly, her wand out just in case. Harry, Ron, and Draco were just behind her.

Wizards and witches were running everywhere as wails and screams sounded throughout the night air. To Hermione, it was déjà vu… in the absolute worst way.

As they made it to the tree, Hermione swerved and hid behind it.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" called out Harry, pausing amidst the running to move to her.

"You guys have to go on without me. I have to stay here–"

"But why?" asked Ron, frowning.

"My father, that's why," she hissed, before pushing the two towards Draco, who was standing a few feet away, his grey eyes unreadable. He glanced at the tree she was standing by before arching an eyebrow. He clearly remembered it, too. "You don't understand–"

"He's a part of this, isn't he?"

The question stopped her for a moment and she turned to look at Harry – who was frowning at her – before nodding solemnly.

"You guys have to go," she urged, "I'll be fine, I swear. I just wanted to warn you."

"But–"

"GO!" she yelled, pushing them again.

By this time, Fred, George, and Ginny had paused too and were watching the scene.

"Go before you guys get hurt… they'll be coming here…" she glanced over at the Death Eaters. Alarmed at how close they'd gotten, she pushed them once again toward the forest and this time, they listened.

Hiding behind the tree, Hermione watched on, horrified, as the Death Eaters tortured the muggles before Ministry workers flew in to stop them. Thinking back to her memory of this night, she frowned deeply.

Why would Draco want to stay and watch this? Wasn't he frightened at all?

As the Ministry workers began dueling, the Death Eaters seemed to realize they were outnumbered and quickly Disapparated away.

They must have taken down the wards.

Before she knew it, the entire campsite was dark and quiet – the only sounds being the wind and distant screams from the forest behind her. It wasn't until footsteps sounded near her that Hermione realized she wasn't alone. Her heart started beating rapidly and fear surged through her veins as she walked slowly around the tree to hide from whoever had come close to her hiding spot. Her wand was out and at the ready as she listened keenly. Barely breathing, she could hear the footsteps retreating into the forest behind her. After a few moments, she slowly peeked out from behind the tree to see a figure clad in all black walking quietly, and determinedly, into the darkness.

Frowning slightly, she placed a silencing spell on herself, as well as a disillusionment charm, before following the figure.

Despite the good camouflage the disillusionment charm provided her in the dark, she made sure to hide behind as many trees as possible as the prowler continued into the blackness of the forest.

"Who's there?"

Hermione stopped in her tracks before quickly hiding behind the closest tree. Her heart raced as she recognized the voice.

Harry.

The man's footsteps stopped as well but he gave no indication he had even heard him.

Peeking out from behind the tree, she saw him enter a small clearing. Moonlight illuminated his face and she bit back a gasp.

"MORSMORDRE!" snarled Barty Crouch Jr., his wand pointed directly upward.

Bright green light filled the area as the spell zoomed into the sky before the Dark Mark took form. Screams echoed loudly throughout the forest and Barty Crouch Jr. laughed maniacally before starting back towards her.

Stifling a small gasp, Hermione whirled around and began to sprint away only to run into something tall and hard. Letting out a loud shriek and stumbling backwards, Hermione looked up to see the signature silver mask and black hood of a Death Eater, illuminated by a sudden flash of red light, before falling unconscious.

Waaaah... I'm so sorry guys! I'm not going to get into details, but the last month and a half has been extremely hectic for me and this chapter, for some odd reason, was so hard for me to write :( I apologize. The next update will be SOON AFTER THIS ONE, I PROMISE YOU. I promise. Thank you so much for your patience and your PMs. I really appreciate it. I'm even more grateful for all of the wonderful reviews I received :) You amazing people pushed me over the 500 mark: Hermione's conscience, jfang465, The Last Poison Apple, kadavers315, 8. B. R. Adford, Are101, DestinyOrton, Dark-Supernatural-Angel, Twizard2013, HazelMalfoy18, Alenor, JuliaLestrange, SashaStorm97, aeireis, Eltanin Rose, littlegirlwarrior, brighteyes2889, insanegirl190, iluvaqt, jkl, Somnus Verus, DraMione394, Raven-Thea, Lexiful Sunshine, mh21, wtff-stfuu, Innocent Serenity, Hair Like Starlight, svowles1690, BW-Photography, baileyvicious, ShadowKissedGallagherGirlLexia, Ms. Louis Cordice Zabini, flaming-twilight, princesspay10, RingoHime, Untamed Goddess, A Phosphorescent Glow, rcampuzano, DeviaLyanMalfoi, Lupinara, Tell-Me-Tales, nathaliie, LittleMissHugALot, warrior-of-water, Claudie, Cristal90, Bianca the crazy slytherin, SlideshowJazz1, Calimocho. Once again, THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!

Question: Who do you think caught Hermione?

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