Chapter 36: Witch Hunt
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She was floating. Weightless. A sense of peace filled her. Everything was going to be fine. She smiled in her sleep.
Slowly, slowly the mists of sleep cleared until she was semi-awake. She opened her eyes to the soft grey dawnlight. She lay perfectly still, enjoying the heaviness of her limbs, the warmth of the bed, the perfect silence. . She gradually became aware of the warmth of the body behind her, gentle breath against the back of her neck, the weight of an arm across her waist. She stretched and in the seconds it took her to roll over to face him, he was awake. There was no drifting awake for him. He went from fast asleep to fully alert in an instant, without moving a muscle.
"You're home," she whispered.
"You slept in my shirt."
"Yes."
"You spoke to me in my head across the world." His voice was soft.
"And you answered."
"I told your parents. About us."
She smiled. "You did? How did they react?"
"Your father grinned. Your mother cried. Now I know where you get it from," he smiled. "You need to write them a note or something."
"Will they all be alright there?"
"Yes. They will be fine. Arthur and Molly know what to do if the wards are breached."
She seemed satisfied. "Make love to me before Ginny wakes up," she said.
"She won't be paying us a visit this morning. I asked her not to." He pulled her to him and ran a warm hand along her spine.
"When?" she looked surprised.
"They were still up when I got home last night." His fingers caressed the back of her neck.
"And you didn't wake me?" She pressed her body against his.
"No. I planned to, but you looked so peaceful." He kissed her neck gently. "You talk in your sleep," he said.
"No I don't," she said. "What did I say?"
"Not a lot." His smile broadened. "When you felt me slide in next to you, you said my name. In your sleep. That's all."
He pulled her tightly against him and held her.
"You say my name in your sleep," he whispered.
"Because I love you even while I'm sleeping," she whispered back.
He rolled slowly, languidly onto her and looked down into her eyes. "So say it while you're awake."
"Draco." She sighed his name as he filled her up, and said it again and again as he took her to the edge and she clung to him fiercely, as though she could somehow reach back in time and comfort the boy if she just loved him hard enough.
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They had spent the day quietly together. As the evening slowly dimmed the room, Blaise and Draco went out onto the balcony of the living room, carrying a tumbler of firewhiskey each. They spent an hour watching bats swoop drunkenly after flying insects, and going over and over their cover story, ensuring that they wouldn't contradict each other in any way.
"So are you ready to head back for a while?" Draco eventually asked softly. "And what is Red plotting now?"
Blaise glanced over his shoulder at Hermione and Ginny. Hermione was walking alongside a shelf of books, running a finger along the spines as she went. Ginny strolled next to her, whispering and grinning. Every few moments she glanced over at the wizards and then looked quickly away.
Blaise knew that look. "Yes, she's definitely up to something. What do you suppose it is?" he wondered.
"I don't know, but I think we should probably be scared." Draco's eyes lingered on the two conspirators for a moment before bringing his attention back to his question. "We need to go back, Zabini. We can stay another day or so but then we need to go. The longer we stay the harder it will be to explain what we've been doing."
Blaise nodded. "I know. I'm ready. To be honest I'm almost looking forward to it. I just want to get it started, you know?"
Draco agreed. "Yeah. It's time."
Blaise hesitated, his eyes uneasy. "It's just.."
Draco turned to him. "Just what?" he asked curiously.
"It's Ginevra. She's been having bad dreams." He looked at Draco. "The whole situation is obviously on her mind more than she lets on."
Draco felt a twinge of unease. In the wizarding world, a bad dream was taken more seriously than in the muggle world. "Has she said anything about them?" he asked quietly.
Blaise shook his head. "She doesn't remember them when she wakes up."
"I'm sure she's fine." Draco reassured the Italian. But a faint feeling of foreboding formed at the back of his mind. He dismissed it firmly. Everything was going to be fine.
"There's something you should probably know."
Draco, who'd been about to walk back in the house, stopped. "What thing?"
"I told her."
"You told who what?"
"Granger. About the curse. Potter." He gestured towards Draco's chest with his empty tumbler.
Draco was silent for a moment. Then "Why?" His voice took on a hard edge that Blaise recognised even in that one word.
"Because she asked."
"She asked. So you told her?"
"Yes. She doesn't like secrets, Drake, and there are already too many of those."
Draco took a moment to control the sudden flare of anger before he continued.
"There are things I can't tell her, Blaise. Things I will never tell her. You know that."
Blaise's voice was low and steady. "I know. But that doesn't need to be one of them."
"That may be true, but it was my fucking choice to tell her or not! Mine, Blaise!" Draco hissed.
Blaise glanced quickly at the two women inside before he continued.
"She asked, and she caught me off-guard and I didn't want to lie and I couldn't tell her just half so I told her everything." He shrugged. "You're a difficult fucker at the best of times, but you're family to me and, for reasons beyond my understanding, she has decided to spend her life with you and that makes her family to me too. So when she asked, I told her."
Draco stood motionless for a few moments, then he turned to go inside. "You're very fucking lucky that I have more self-control than Weasley right now," he said as he went in.
Blaise let out a long breath and rolled his shoulders to ease the tension there. Well that went well, he thought with a sigh. Then he, too, went in.
Ginny and Hermione watched in silence as Draco stalked past them into the bedroom. Whatever they'd been plotting was, for the moment, forgotten.
"Draco?" Hermione had followed him into the room and now stood with back against the closed door. "Is everything alright?"
"Everything is fine," he said shortly.
"I can see that's not true though," she said quietly.
He turned to her and just looked at her for a long moment before he spoke.
"If there's anything you want to know, I want you to ask me. Not Blaise. Me. Do you understand?"
She nodded mutely, realising what he meant.
"If it's something I can tell you, I will. And if it's not, I'll tell you that."
She walked slowly to him and stopped in front of him. "I'm sorry, Draco. I didn't know what he'd say until he said it and then it was too late."
"I know."
"I didn't mean to pry. And Blaise only told me because I asked." She took his hand.
"I know."
"It won't happen again."
"I know." He pulled her a little closer to him.
"I'm sorry."
"You've been very bad," he said, his tone now low and teasing. "As your master, I need to take firm and decisive action."
She looked up at him and her mouth curved in a tiny smile.
"I know."
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They stopped talking and turned to look at her as she walked into the room the next morning. She'd slept in for the first time in a long time.
They sat at the dining table, a length of parchment lay between them.
"What's that?" she asked as she made her way to them.
She walked a little stiffly, her body aching deliciously from the previous night's activities. Draco had taken her forcefully, and although he'd stopped short of inflicting pain, he had been rough and demanding and she felt pleasantly sore.
She winced slightly as she sat, noting Draco's slight smirk as he noticed.
"It's from Harry." Ginny pushed the parchment across the table towards Hermione.
Hermione squinted at the hastily penned words. There was no name on the note, but she'd recognise Harry's scrawl anywhere. It was as though a drunk pigeon had staggered into a puddle of ink and across the parchment.
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"The plant has borne fruit. Hunters in pursuit of lions in darkness. Keep them safe. Talk when ready."
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Hermione frowned at the cryptic words. "It's his handwriting, that's for sure." She looked up at Ginny. "The Ministry is after us," she said quietly. She leaned back slowly, taking it in.
Draco nodded, his eyes grim. "That's how we interpret it too. And unless I'm mistaken, they are keeping it a secret from Potter."
She took a deep breath. "Well, it's a good thing, right? It will make our story a lot more believable."
"You are right, cara. But it also means we no longer have the luxury of time." Blaise glanced at Draco and the two men exchanged a quiet look. "It means you two have some hard work to do in the next few days. And we need to go."
Ginny's green eyes were sombre. "Right now?"
"Someone knows that you are with us, amore. It's possible that it's the same person who now believes that you may have knowledge of a traitor in the Ministry. Until that person feels safe again, you are in danger. So we need to make your defection happen soon."
"Zabini's right. We need to leave. You will be safe here for a few days but no more. We need to make sure we are back here within the week. Now that you're being hunted, of course, it should be easy to set up."
They were silent for a few moments. Then Draco stood. He walked to the window and looked out at the garden. The countryside beyond the walls was no longer a sunny, gentle picture. The sky was cold grey and he had the fleeting impression of unseen things lurking and waiting in the shadows. He rolled his head and shoulders, easing his neck, and then closed his eyes.
"Draco-" Hermione began, but he shook his head and held up a finger.
"Wait, cara," Blaise stopped her gently.
She stopped and watched.
His breathing deepened and she felt the soft ripple of magic in the room. Almost saw the air around him pulse and glow.
They sat in silence and waited.
Then he opened his eyes and turned to them.
"A small team in the Ministry are looking for you, but not officially. Potter is in Italy. They are keeping him out of the way." He paused for a moment then continued. "He thinks it's being done without Shacklebolt's knowledge."
They digested the information in silence. There was a soft shimmer as their breakfast appeared on the table. Draco sat. They ignored the food but reached for coffee. The room was silent except for the tinkle of spoons in mugs.
"Is Harry safe, Draco?" Hermione finally asked quietly.
Draco looked at her over the rim of his mug. "Potter is the best Auror the Ministry has seen in decades, Granger. They are afraid of him, or else they wouldn't have sent him to another country while they look for you. He knows what they are doing before they do it. I'd say he's pretty safe, love." He reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Also," he continued with a grin, "I'm pretty sure that he is still in contact with Pansy. And you've seen the two of them together. They are powerful as individuals, but as a team they are fucking terrifying."
They all acknowledged the truth of that with a solemn nod. Each of them was grateful that they would never be on the wrong end of those two.
Blaise stood. "We must get ready, Drake."
They all sighed and stood. Draco took Hermione's hand and they walked into their bedroom together. When they were alone in the room he turned to her.
"While we are gone, you and Red need to fill your heads up with the story we created. You are both good occlumens now, but just in case someone gets a peek, they need to find only what you want them to see. You need to practically live your story. Do you understand?"
She nodded.
"Hermione," he began. Then he hesitated, his face troubled. For the first time in weeks she spotted the unidentifiable something behind his eyes. This time he didn't hide it. "Love, we thought we would have more time. But we will be back to fetch you soon, I think. A few days, no more." He ran his hands through his hair and then continued. "When we go to Lyngvi, Blaise and I will be different. And you and Red will have to be different."
She looked quizzically at him.
"The Force is dark, my love. They are dark and brutal. Blaise and I need to play that part when we are there. So I need you to promise me that you will remember at all times that it's just a role we play. A mask." His eyes searched hers. "You will see me in a way you haven't seen me before. And I need you to swear to me that you will remember that it's just a persona. Nothing you see will be real. And if you are to be successful agents, you need to wear masks of your own."
She held his eyes for a long moment. Then she nodded. "I understand, Draco."
"Promise me, Granger." He grabbed her hands and pulled her closer to him.
"I promise."
He seemed satisfied. "Good. Now. Write your mother a quick note. She needs to hear from you. I will send an owl."
She sat at the little writing desk and began while he packed.
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They stood together in the middle of the living room.
"We're going to pay Severus a quick visit and then head straight to Lyngvi, so I don't want you to try to contact me unless there's an emergency. I will speak to you whenever I can." Draco's voice was calm and businesslike.
Hermione nodded. "Be careful," she said.
Draco pulled her close and hugged her.
"Granger," he said softly enough so that only she heard his words, "Keep an eye on Ginny, will you? Blaise says she's been having bad dreams."
Hermione's eyes met his. She nodded slowly. "Ok," she whispered.
He kissed her quickly, then looked across at Blaise and Ginny.
"Let's go, Blaise," he said.
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They spent their time doing what Draco had asked. They told each other their story, visualising it over and over, going over the details until they felt like they were reliving actual events. They worked with determination from early to late, stopping only for meals and tea. They vacillated between confidence that all would go well and terror that they would be found out immediately.
And inbetween, they tried not to think about where Draco and Blaise were and how it was going.
Half way through the afternoon of the second day, Ginny suddenly stood and faced Hermione, her hands on her hips.
"Mione, do you think ritorno incantatem can work on legillimens?" she asked. Her eyes sparkled with sudden hope. "It has worked with every other spell we've tried."
Hermione stared at her. "In theory, why not?" she said slowly. "I mean, legillimens is not really an attack spell, but why not? Shall we try it?"
Ginny grinned and nodded. "Yes! You're a much better legilimens than me. You try to read me."
Hermione waited patiently while Ginny recited the three incantations to cast the spell. When Ginny nodded, she stepped forward and placed her fingertips to her friend's temples.
"Legilimens!" she said softly.
She waited. Nothing. She tried again.
Nothing.
Her face slowly broke into a broad grin.
"I think it works!"
"Yes!"
Hermione held up a hand. "Hang on, Gin, don't get too excited. I'm not nearly as good as someone like Draco or Blaise. It might not be as effective against someone really skilled."
"But it works and it's better than nothing. You have to tell Draco when he contacts you. I know they are both skilled occlumens, but every little bit helps."
They stopped for tea, truly confident for the first time that maybe, just maybe, this could really work.