It took a full week before Astoria Greengrass' prediction came to fruition. Hermione and Harry had continued to monitor Draco on the map and his pattern of behavior had remained unchanged. He still paced his room…he still kept his head down at meals and in class…he still looked thoroughly lost and miserable. Until Saturday morning.

They didn't spot Draco at breakfast but there were no announcements made and the Slytherin table seemed to be acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She'd been much better at not looking at Astoria after the girl's reprimand but Hermione couldn't help herself that morning. The friendly, enthusiastic girl she was used to seeing was nowhere to be found as the Hufflepuff's eyes remained glued to her food and rarely spoke.

The only bit of excitement was Pigwidgeon struggling mightily but successfully delivering Mrs. Weasley's copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard during that morning's post delivery. "Mum apologizes for the delay," Ron informed as he read the accompanying letter and continued to eat, "the ghoul had made a mess of the things stored in the attic and it took her a bit to find it in the piles."

Dumbledore and Snape were notable by their absence, lending even more credence to their conclusion that Draco had made his escape. She received confirmation of this as she and Harry were waiting on Ron to finish his second helping.

"Mister Potter, Miss Granger, the Headmaster would like to speak to you," Professor McGonagall intoned behind their shoulder.

"When?" Harry asked.

"Now," she replied, brooking no argument. They quickly stood and followed their head of house, receiving a silent nod of support from Ron. Lavender did her best to smile encouragingly but looked slightly terrified on their behalf.

All eyes were on the trio as they left the hall and Hermione felt an odd sense of exhilaration as she realized that Dumbledore now saw Harry and her as a singular unit. She felt Harry grip her hand a bit tighter as the gargoyle came into view and vowed once again not to let him down.

They entered the room to find Dumbledore sitting at his desk, the picture of calm, and the Slytherin head of house pacing behind him, clearly furious at recent events.

"Thank you for coming," Dumbledore intoned pleasantly as he motioned for them to take a seat. Hermione felt the urge to point out that they weren't exactly given a choice but held her tongue.

"Is this about Malfoy's disappearance?" Harry stated bluntly. The headmaster remained calm while Snape looked murderous.

"You are indeed correct, Harry," Dumbledore continued. "We were wondering if you could shed some light on Mr. Malfoy's whereabouts."

She and Harry had a week to discuss what to share with the headmaster if Draco actually did flee the castle and they'd decided that being as honest as possible was the best option.

"I can't tell you how we confirmed it but we were right," Harry began dully. "Malfoy was responsible for Katie and Ron almost dying and he was working on another plan in the Room of Requirement. Now that we've stopped him from whatever he was scheming he is running for his life…running from Voldemort."

"I don't believe you," Snape spit. "What have you and your vigilantes done?"

"He's telling the truth, and we aren't vigilantes. We sit in a hallway," Hermione interjected in annoyance. For the first time that she could recall the Potter sneer was directed at her in full force. Snape quickly moved back to his normal target.

"Tell us what you know and how you know it," Snape continued. She'd never seen him so desperate.

Harry ignored him and turned his gaze downward at their enjoined hands, waiting for the headmaster to speak. She and Harry had agreed that he in particular should avoid engaging Professor Snape whenever possible.

While the silence grew Dumbledore seemed jolted to attention when he spotted the book of fables in her hand. It was subtle and it didn't last long but he definitely looked alarmed.

"Do you have any idea what he was planning or where he might have gone?" Dumbledore asked eventually, glancing at her hand once again.

"No. He did a runner. That's all we know," Harry answered simply.

"Would you tell us where he was planning to go even if you knew?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry paused as he considered what to say. As she waited for his answer she pondered what she would do if asked such a question. Harry's response didn't surprise her in the slightest.

"You'd try to bring him back here so probably not."

"We are on the same side, Harry," the headmaster pleaded.

"I know that. We know that. But you don't listen. And you aren't honest about the reasons why."

"Harry-"

"Have there been any actions taken against the students on the list we gave you?" Hermione interjected, wanting to change the topic.

"With no proof of any wrongdoing there is little we can do," Dumbledore answered tiredly, "but the list has been distributed to all faculty members and we are monitoring everyone as best as we can."

It was all they could expect really. Dumbledore was right…without any tangible proof it was the best he could do.

Dumbledore removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He looked so old and the curse that had withered his hand seemed to have spread a bit further than the last time she'd been in his office.

"You two should be prepared," Dumbledore instructed gravely. "If your suspicions are correct about other students seeking retaliation their resolve will be tenfold now that you have succeeded."

"Congratulations, Potter. You've brought the war to Hogwarts," Snape said derisively.

She knew Harry wanted to reply but prayed that he wouldn't. Nothing could be gained by pointing out that Voldemort had been attached to the back of their Defense professor's head in their first year…or that a death eater had smuggled Voldemort's sentient Horcrux into Hogwarts when they were twelve…the list of examples that Harry could retort with seemed unending. She wasn't aware of it at the time but she'd been fighting against large swaths of the wizarding world from the first time she and her parents stepped into Diagon Alley and were met with disgust and antipathy simply for existing within the bigots' orbit.

She squeezed his hand tightly, hoping he would get her rather forceful hint to hold his tongue. Based on the slight wince and grunt her message had been successfully delivered. He eventually grinned and she fought the urge to grin as well. She failed.

It appeared that Snape was taking their smiles personally and had more to say on the topic. He was cut off before he could comment further.

"I believe that is enough, Severus," McGonagall intoned, paying attention to forcefully emphasize the use of his first name. She stood and motioned for them to do so as well.

Hermione stood immediately while Harry remained seated, surprised at McGonagall's forceful action. He waited for Dumbledore's nod of agreement before rising and heading for the door.

"Please be careful," Dumbledore instructed gravely as they exited the room.

Ron and Lavender were waiting for them in the hallway as they passed by the gargoyle. Ron looked thoroughly nonplussed while Lavender seemed to be desperately fighting the urge to shriek in relief.

"Mr. Weasley, Miss Brown, I would suggest you return to the Gryffindor common room. I need to speak privately with these two but I assure you they will return in one piece. I would normally award you points for your loyalty but as I understand it that sort of thing is frowned upon these days," McGonagall smirked.

Harry raised a questioning eyebrow toward her and Hermione gave an answering shrug of her shoulders. She had no idea what the Deputy Headmistress needed to discuss.

The journey to McGonagall's office was made in silence, the monotony broken only by the curious stares of the people they passed along the way. Quickly enough they arrived and tea was served before McGonagall fixed them with her best stare.

"Now that your group has succeeded what are your plans?" McGonagall asked bluntly.

"Our plans?" she replied in confusion.

"With your group," she answered. "What are your plans for your group? The Headmaster is right to be concerned. You and anyone who has joined your cause is a target for retaliation."

"I don't know," Harry answered honestly, clearly annoyed.

"Well I suggest you figure it out. You've involved your fellow students, you've put them at risk," McGonagall replied brusquely.

"That isn't fair," Hermione objected.

"Just leave it, Hermione," Harry said calmly as he stood, "she doesn't care that we were right. Dumbledore is disappointed so she is disappointed."

He paused and turned his attention back to their head of house. "I actually thought you wanted to help."

"Sit down, Potter," McGonagall ordered. "Now."

Harry grudgingly complied and waited for her to continue.

"Let me be clear. I am tremendously proud of you both for your actions over the last few months. But actions have consequences and you must now be willing to deal with the consequences of your actions," she informed bluntly.

She waited for their affirming nods before continuing.

"Ranty!" McGonagall called and an elderly elf appeared almost instantly.

"Is Mistress Minny needing more tea?" the elf asked and Hermione fought the urge to voice her displeasure.

"No, Ranty, we are fine. I was hoping you could share with Mister Potter and Miss Granger what has been happening with the Hogwarts house elves recently," McGonagall requested as she conjured a small chair for the elf.

"Ranty does not understand," replied in confusion as she took the proffered seat.

"In regards to Dobby," McGonagall prompted, causing the elf to scowl immediately.

"Dobby is telling other elves what he is doing to help Harry Potter and the Hat Maker," the elf muttered in annoyance. "Now elves always be arguing!"

"Arguing?" Hermione asked.

The elf nodded vigorously. "Some elves agree with Dobby and are staying up to help Harry Potter and the Hat Maker when they should be sleeping. Others are mad because the helping elves are tired all the time. So elves argue all day when they should be working. Ranty is wishing everyone would just be quiet and work!"

They were subjected to an additional ten minutes of Ranty, there was no other word for it, ranting about bad elves speaking on topics when and where they shouldn't be. The elf was very passionate.

"Was that supposed to make us feel guilty?" Harry asked once the elf eventually popped out of sight.

"No, Potter. It is meant to show you the ripple effects of your actions…actions which, as I have stated, I am proud of you for taking. But you need to understand that people are looking to you for guidance and that will not end now that the situation with Mr. Malfoy has been handled.

So I will ask again and I would like you to come up with a better response. What are your plans for your group?"

Harry looked at her determinedly before replying. "I reckon we should sort that out as soon as possible."

"That, Mr. Potter, is the answer I've been waiting for."

And they did. They spent the evening updating the other members of Ministry Six and Lavender of Draco's escape and the warnings they'd been given from Dumbledore and their head of house. They'd quickly come up with a plan of action and a set of talking points to discuss with the Hogwarts Defense Force.

As with most things that involved Harry it went spectacularly sideways almost from the off. Their meeting with the HDF had barely begun before she'd felt their control of the proceedings rapidly slipping away. She should have known by the overly excited cheers when they'd confirmed that Malfoy had most likely run away what was about to happen.

"So although Malfoy seems to be out of the picture we can't be sure that no-one else in the castle might not try and continue with his plan. So we're going to keep up with the shifts in front of the room and we are going to increase the grou[s from three to five at a time."

"If Malfoy is out of the picture than why are more people needed?" a Hufflepuff asked.

She watched Harry take a breath. Things were about to get very interesting.

"We're worried others may try to retaliate now that we've stopped Malfoy."

"So you're saying there are more death eaters at Hogwarts?" someone interjected.

"What do you think?" Ron replied, clearly annoyed at the question.

"If there are others at Hogwarts we should be doing more to stop them!" someone in the back shouted, drawing cheers from throughout the group.

"We are aware of other students that may be loyal to Voldemort…we've provided the names of who we suspect to the Headmaster and the Hogwarts staff is monitoring the students. The extra students watching the room are just an added precaution," she informed the crowd.

"How do you know that?" someone else shouted. Hermione noted that the group seemed much more emboldened than past meetings and did her best NOT to look at Astoria.

"We can't tell you that," Harry interjected, drawing angry murmurings throughout the crowd.

"We want to know!" another voice shouted and their comment was instantly met with a chorus of agreement. Hermione remembered Professor Snape's angry words and realized what he had predicted was developing in front of her eyes.

"We aren't vigilantes!" she admonished above the rumblings. "We have no proof beyond our suspicions and we can't go after other students without more to go on," she replied with as much conviction as she could manage.

The issue of whether to disclose the names publicly had caused the most disagreement in their earlier meeting. Neville and, surprisingly, Lavender, had been the most adamant that everyone had the right to know who to be wary of. In the end, however, it was agreed that doing so would cause more harm than good and could potentially jeopardize Daphne, Tracey and Blaize.

"Who are you to make that decision?" a seventh year Ravenclaw said in a near shout.

Before she or Harry could answer someone else spoke up on their behalf.

"They didn't," Lavender tentatively replied. We came to the decision together as a group."

Hermione heard a few muttered laughs and noises of protest amongst the crowd and realized she would have most likely been joining in as well a few months prior. She hadn't studied Legilimency but she could easily discern the crowd's thoughts.

Why should this girl…a girl who has always been more concerned about cosmetic charms and Witch Weekly quizzes…be making decisions on our behalf?

And while the crowd had every right to be upset at the decision they had no right to take it out on Lavender. She gave the girl a grateful smile for her support.

"If you don't want to be here then leave, I'll be happy to take up a few extra shifts," Neville replied, giving a nod of support to Lavender. "Harry and Hermione made the decision after talking it over with the people they trust. If you weren't asked for your input that says more about you than it does about the people they trust."

"Neville, it's all right," Harry attempted to interject.

"No it's not!" he answered before turning his attention back to the crowd. "Anyone else have something to say about the decisions we have made?"

While many in the group still looked angry or concerned they all remained silent. Neville nodded for the meeting to continue and sat back down.

"Ginny?" Harry prodded, wanting to move on as quickly as possible.

"Right," Ginny began, "now that we've gotten that out of the way let's discuss what we've planned for this week's Defense lessons…"

The next few days were relatively peaceful save for a few additional skirmishes in the halls as suspected death eaters in training and Hogwarts Defense Force members verbally sparred in the hallways between classes. It reminded Hermione of the atmosphere immediately after Harry's name had emerged from the Goblet of Fire. But the snipes and glares were much more sinister now…miles beyond the childish Potter Stinks badges and jelly legs jinxes in fourth year. The Tri Wizard Tournament seemed like so long ago…

As the tensions in the castle mounted Harry seemed to become more and more reserved…the weight of the decisions they had made affecting him more than anyone. Despite the support she and their friends had provided it was never enough to convince him that he wasn't to blame for everything awful that had happened.

"Goyle and Crabbe are in the hospital wing," Ginny informed them gravely as she joined them for breakfast Thursday morning.

"What happened?" Hermione asked.

"Demelza said they were brought in last night while she was volunteering. From what she overheard the professors thought they had been ambushed after their detention."

"How bad was it?" Harry prompted.

Ginny's expression turned grim. "There was a lot of damage. Pomfrey said they would eventually recover but they wouldn't be leaving the hospital wing anytime soon."

Hermione did her best to process how she felt about the news. It was hard to feel sympathy for those two knowing how gleeful they would be if she or Harry had ended up in hospital but she could not deny the sense of unease the news had brought. Although she still didn't agree with how the headmaster had handled the situation she now profoundly felt the weight involved in being the one making the decisions.

McGonagall's words on ripple effects echoed in her consciousness and her stomach sank. She knew the ripples had just begun.

She grabbed Harry's free hand under the table and gave it a squeeze of assurance. Whether she was trying to assure Harry or herself she wasn't quite able to determine.

As the day progressed the news of the attack began to spread throughout the castle and Harry became more and more withdrawn. Hermione barely paid attention to the class lectures…her mind focused on the rumblings within the castle and Harry's state of mind.

They both remained relatively silent as they methodically attended classes and ate their evening meal. The talking and thinking and worrying over the last few days were taking their toll.

The oppressive silence of the Gryffindor common room that evening was unbearable as she attempted to read more of Beedle's tales. She'd wanted to scan through the other stories to find some clue as to why the Headmaster had reacted so oddly the other the day but ended up only pretending to read a story about three brothers while she watched Harry pretending to read the Half Blood Prince's book. She looked at their couch and fought the urge to curse the students selfishly relaxing in its loving embrace. She needed to be with Harry. Only Harry.

"Where is your invisibility cloak?" she asked, pulling Harry out of his thoughts.

"In my bag. Why?"

She stowed her book away and pulled Harry up from his seat. "Our couch is taken but I know where we can make our own."

Fifteen minutes later they'd reached their destination and quickly relieved Dobby of his monitoring duties for the foreseeable future. She felt Harry's arm drape over her shoulder and she immediately buried herself into his side, instantly relaxing. As the minutes passed Hermione felt her stress and worries temporarily fading into the background.

She'd nearly drifted off to sleep when she was roused by Harry's voice.

"I'm scared," he stated simply.

She idly reached for the hand on her shoulder and twined her fingers with his.

"Me too," she replied.

A few minutes later he spoke once again. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt."

"I know," she answered softly, sitting up and gently removing Harry's glasses. She carefully folded them up and placed them on a nearby table.

"I'm terrified something is going to happen to you," he mumbled as he pulled her closer.

"I feel the same about you," she replied quietly as she began kissing up his jaw line.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," he murmured into her ear, his breath sending shivers down her spine.

She thought once again about ripple effects…her parents striking up a conversation in a hotel bar…asking Harry to Slughorn's Christmas party...how she had somehow become even more desperately devoted to Harry…that tomorrow wasn't guaranteed.

Before she could talk herself out of it Hermione started unbuttoning her shirt. She looked into Harry's questioning eyes and her heart stilled. They were together and it felt right and tomorrow wasn't guaranteed.

Ripple effects

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"No more talking, Harry," she replied, unable to suppress her grin.

Harry finished the sentence for her, now sporting his own smile.

"It's our night off."