Cambridge
November 7, 2006
"A Death Eater plot?" Harry said incredulously. Ginny had just been debriefed by Robards and was trying to update Harry, but he kept interrupting. Sirius sat on his recliner, watching the pair with an amused grin.
"They don't know exactly," Ginny explained. "They just know there's evidence of a connection to the Death Eaters. They're also exploring the possibility of the bombings being a Separatist or Isolationist plot – or perhaps even a conspiracy involving multiple magical factions."
"Now that is more believable," Harry agreed. "Though I still don't see them resorting to non-magical methods of murder."
Ginny shrugged. "That's why they originally weren't considered as suspects. But with everything that's happened, there seems a likelihood of collusion among different parties. The good news is Robards and Fox believe they're closing in on whomever is behind the bombings, so the investigation should be over soon..."
Harry was trying to grasp what the Death Eaters could possibly gain from meddling in WEA politics. "Are the Death Eaters trying to destabilize our government? Or simply wield–" His musings were interrupted by a sharp knock at the front door.
Ginny immediately went on alert, pulling out her hand gun and wand. "Are you expecting anybody?" she asked Sirius, who gave her a pointed look before shaking his head. "Okay, Harry – go to the kitchen. Wait there until you hear from me. Sirius? If they knock again – answer."
Harry nodded before departing, feeling fairly useless as usual. Sirius remained on his recliner, a small nod the only indication of his compliance. Ginny stood near the door, attempting to discern who was on the other side.
Knock knock.
"Shit," Ginny cursed, taking a seat and hiding her weapons from sight.
Sirius reluctantly stood up and opened the door a few inches. "What?" he grunted. Ginny was tempted to inch forward and scope out whomever was on the other side but forced herself to remain still.
"Sirius Black?" a woman asked.
"Who's asking?"
"I'm sorry for barging in like this, but I need to speak with you. Remus Lupin sent me," she told him. Ginny frowned, trying to figure out why that name sounded familiar.
Sirius blinked. "Huh?"
"Please," the woman pleaded, "can we come in?"
Ginny stood up, bracing herself for conflict.
"I'm not receiving guests at this time," Sirius deadpanned.
"You don't understand – my name is Hermione Granger," she told him.
Sirius froze, while Ginny jumped up in surprise and went to the door, wand at the ready. "Sirius," she told him quietly. "She's a Corps fugitive."
But Sirius just stared at the woman, eyes wide like a deer in the headlights. Much to Ginny's horror, he opened the door, letting the woman and her companion in. Sirius closed the door behind them and continued to stare at the woman — Hermione — like he was seeing a ghost. Hermione was clearly growing uncomfortable under his scrutiny, and her male companion looked wary.
"Alright." Ginny pulled out her wand, keeping it at her side. "What the hell is going on?"
Hermione's eyes widened in panic. "You're Corps?" she asked, staring at the witch pin on Ginny's chest.
"I am." Ginny eyed them suspiciously. "Give me one reason not to call my superior officer right now."
"Please, let me explain," Hermione pleaded. "It's a – complicated story. I was told Sirius might have answers..."
Ginny's eye twitched, trying to get a handle on the situation. The last thing she wanted to do was alert anyone to her and Harry's location. And the woman didn't seem particularly dangerous; but then again, there was a manhunt for her and her companion. "I'll give you a chance to explain, but if I don't like your answer, I will call the appropriate authorities. And who's your friend? The media never released his name."
"Draco Malfoy," Hermione said slowly.
Draco remained guarded, a few inches behind her, his eyes darting from Sirius back to Ginny. Sirius' eyes narrowed at Draco as he finally took notice of the wizard.
"Draco Malfoy?" They heard a voice come from the hall, and Ginny cursed under her breath. Now that Harry had been seen, Ginny wouldn't be able to let these people leave, unless she was willing to severely alter their memories.
Harry walked in, pointing his wand at Draco and ignoring Hermione altogether. "He's a Death Eater, Gin. Daphne's sister, Astoria, was – or is – betrothed to him, as far as I'm aware."
Ginny raised her wand, pointing it at the blonde's chest. Draco's eyes went wide and he turned to Hermione, who gave him a calculated look before pulling out her own wand.
"Perhaps it's time you finally told the truth, Draco," Hermione said to him, her eyes cold and harsh, as she pointed her wand at him.
Draco looked at Hermione – only her. "What are you talking about?" he asked, swallowing, his hands out in surrender. "You know who I am." His eyes were pleading.
Ginny, Harry, and Sirius watched the interaction with bated breath, surprised by the unexpected turn of events Harry's statement had wrought between their new visitors.
Hermione shook her head. "You've told me plenty. But how much of it was true?"
"I–" Draco stuttered, "Hermione, you know me." But he recognized that the Hermione standing before him now was the clinical academic he'd first met in the Uninhabitable Zone, not the woman he danced with in Bath.
Hermione shook her head again. "I've chosen to, for the most part, ignore all of the indications of your dishonesty. I needed an ally, and you were capable and intelligent. While you were obviously looking out for your own interests, it seemed for a time that our goals were aligned.
"But now, I want to know the truth. You knew I was a witch; sure, you attempted to rationalize it, but at the end of the day you knew it somehow. You took one plus one and made five, and somehow it was true." She paused. "And before you attempt to rationalize that further, I remember your story of why you left the Death Eaters. I seem to recall you were "engaged" to a woman named Millicent – but that wasn't true at all, was it?"
Draco's neck was turning red. "Yes, I've lied," he admitted, his voice growing stronger. "But you've kept things from me as well!"
"Oh? Like what, Draco?"
"Your memory, that day you got your magic back." He looked momentarily triumphant.
"You're right, I didn't tell you. You want to know why?" Her voice shifted from clinical to livid. "Because what I saw was two Death Eaters torturing my parents! You see Draco, we did make it to the campground. And I'm sure we were having a lovely time until your people came."
Draco's face somehow paled further. "What?"
"Yup," she confirmed. "So what's your excuse for your lies? Why exactly did you leave the Death Eaters, Draco?"
Draco looked conflicted, his eyes momentarily scanning the others in the room. "I don't have a good excuse. I – I didn't know you then." It was honest, if not quite what she wanted to know.
"OK," Ginny interrupted. "I don't know what's going on, but until we sort it out, neither of you are going anywhere," she told them, attempting to regain control of the situation.
Hermione nodded, steadying herself. "I have nowhere else to go, anyway. I was told Sirius Black might be able to help answer some questions I have."
"So, you're just here to see Sirius?" Harry asked, his wand still pointed at Draco.
"Yes," Hermione confirmed, looking at Harry closely. "Wait a minute – you're Harry Potter!"
"This is why I told you to wait in the kitchen," Ginny drawled.
"I don't understand – why are you here? What's going on?" Hermione asked.
"Who's Harry Potter?" Draco muttered under his breath.
"Alright everyone!" Ginny raised her voice. "Let's take a breath. There seems to be quite a bit to discuss." She paused and turned towards Hermione. "I don't know why the Corps is after you. Given the unique circumstances we find ourselves in, I'm willing to hear you out. But I can't in good conscience allow you and the Death Eater to remain armed."
Hermione frowned momentarily before nodding and handing the woman her wand. This was, she realized, the end of the line in her quest to find answers. After this, she had no more leads. Draco shook his head, appearing ready to protest, when Harry silently disarmed him.
Ginny smiled at Hermione. "Thank you. Now," she paused, "let's sit down, and you can explain why you're here."
The five magicals made a strange tableau. They settled uneasily into their seats, except Draco, who paced, his gaze discreetly shifting to Hermione from time to time.
"I lived my entire life believing I was non-magical," Hermione explained, "but it appears that my memories were altered and my magic was removed. Draco," she paused, "helped me remember a few things, and in the process, I overcame whatever blocked my magic."
"Why is the Corps after you?" Ginny asked.
"I've spent the past two years conducting research in the Uninhabitable Zone – alone. I realized," she exhaled, "– Draco pointed out – my very assignment went against Corps protocol."
"Alright, can we back up?" Harry interrupted. "Where did he come from?"
"Oh." Hermione shook her head. "I found him in the forest; he was suffering from radiation poisoning."
"OK, so Draco showed up, helped you discover you were a witch and your memories were tampered with, and deduced that your assignment was suspect," Ginny summarized.
"Yes," Hermione confirmed. "I wasn't sure who to trust in the Corps, so I decided to go AWOL and try to find answers."
Ginny nodded and turned to Sirius. "And you know something about this?"
"Yes," Sirius confirmed, looking distinctly uncomfortable.
"Well?" Harry asked, expectantly.
Sirius exhaled. "Seventeen years. I've kept this secret for seventeen years." He looked around the room and sighed. "Are you sure you want to know?" he asked Hermione.
"Yes," she told him, a horrible feeling beginning to pool in her gut. Draco stopped pacing and came to stand inches behind her. It seemed that, in spite of everything, he still wanted to protect her.
"Are you sure you want him to hear this?" Sirius asked, his eyes drifting to where Draco hovered over her.
"I'm fairly certain I've deduced what you're going to say," Draco drawled, earning a suspicious look from Hermione over her shoulder. He ignored it and turned back to Sirius. "It's the Event isn't it?"
Sirius nodded, while varying looks of confusion crossed the others' faces. Sirius turned to Harry, looking grim. "Your father and I were Aurors back in the day. Seventeen years ago, on September 29, 1989, around midnight, Mad-Eye sent us to investigate some Death Eaters who were attacking Muggles in the Forest of Dean. But we got there too late. I remember we were over a kilometer away when the sky shone bright. It was – incredible, a raw magic we'd never seen."
Sirius swallowed, turning his attention to Hermione alone, looking far older than his 46 years. "Harry's father – James – and I rushed into the forest and found virtually every living thing was obliterated. Except a young girl."
Hermione's face went white and her eyes wide. "What are you saying?"
Sirius breathed, "We don't know exactly what happened. We knew there were Death Eaters involved, and the magic that was present was something primal. It wasn't dark; it was old. The girl we found was distraught; James was able to extract from her mind some of what had happened. The girl," he paused and swallowed, "you had witnessed something horrific – and magic reacted."
"I killed my parents?" Hermione blinked, her eyes watering. "I caused the Event? But – the Event was an anomaly!" Draco put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, and she held onto it for dear life, previous qualms momentarily irrelevant. Sirius's story was unbelievable, except for the fact that it explained everything: the timing, how she survived, what happened to her parents...
"I'm sorry," Sirius told her earnestly. "Mad-Eye concocted the story about errant magic in an attempt to assuage the Muggles. He and James took away your magic and your memories. They didn't know how you did it, but they thought it was best to take away your magic. And the only way for the spell to hold was for any memories associated with magic and the Event itself to be removed."
"My dad knew about this?" Harry asked, his tone incredulous.
Sirius nodded. "James and I didn't agree on how to handle the situation. I thought removing a person's magic was tantamount to removing a limb. I suggested instead that we find a magical family to foster her. But James and Mad-Eye disagreed." What remained unsaid was 'because she was too dangerous', Hermione thought.
It was odd. Hearing the details and taking a moment to soak everything in, it seemed incredibly obvious: her parents' mysterious death right around the Event, her magic and memories, the Corps being after her. "But why? Why would I do that?" she asked quietly.
"I don't believe you consciously did anything," Sirius suggested. "What you did was something you couldn't control; it was – raw. There hasn't been a recording of such magic in over a millennium. It's why you weren't held accountable."
"Who were the Death Eaters?" Draco asked, looking genuinely angry. "I mean, it was their fault, wasn't it?"
Hermione frowned, oddly comforted that Draco immediately blamed them rather than her. She was still trying to accept this new reality she found herself in, where she as a child had somehow personally upended the world. Yet here Draco was, already somehow okay with her role in everything.
Sirius nodded, looking at Draco strangely. "From Hermione's memories, we believe they were Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange."
Draco's eyes darted around in a calculating manner, as if he was finally putting pieces together. "That's what happened to Aunt Bella?" he mumbled.
Hermione looked horrified. "That woman who attacked my parents was your aunt?"
"Well, she was also my cousin." Sirius shrugged.
"Isn't that quite a coincidence?" Hermione pointed out. "I mean, the two of you are related – what are the odds?"
Sirius looked at Draco thoughtfully. "Purebloods were somewhat notorious for marrying each other, so it's not really that surprising. I actually have a tapestry around here that shows the Black family tree. I'm sure we could find a Potter and a Weasley if we looked hard enough."
Hermione looked distinctly uncomfortable, and Ginny and Harry pointedly did not look at one another.
"Alright. So you, James Potter, and Major General Moody knew about me. I guess it's been Major General Moody directing the recent Corps efforts," Hermione surmised.
Sirius shrugged. "I haven't spoken to Mad-Eye or Potter since that day. But it makes sense."
Hermione looked around the room, still trying to come to terms with the revelation. She had been considering herself a victim in all of this, a victim to whomever had taken her memory and her powers. But now – she suddenly realized she was single-handedlyresponsible for one of the most devastating events in human history. Even though the actual body count of the Event wasn't necessarily high, at least relative to later fundamentalist nuclear attacks, it was the catalyst for a new world order.
Her rational mind attempted to make sense of everything. She could actually understand Mad-Eye and James Potter's reactions. She was constantly justifying the need for the regulation of magic to Draco; having lived most of her life believing she was non-magical, she appreciated the need to sacrifice in order to ensure the well being of all.
What still didn't necessarily make sense to her was the Corps' behavior. When her lack of magic started influencing others, that should have been a sign that the spell to suppress her magic was going awry. Perhaps they realized the spell was failing and sent her out to the middle of nowhere out of fear of another Event?
"Is General Moody that afraid of me?" Hermione asked, further thinking about just how much effort the Corps had made to capture her.
Sirius looked thoughtful. "I don't know if it was you so much as the truth he was worried about. We've kept this secret a long time..."
As much as she wanted to be angry, and on some level she was, she understood the General's fear – that if the non-magicals found out a single magical child was responsible for the Event, there could be a return to the dark times. Or at the very least, civil unrest.
"Thank you," Hermione told Sirius, wearing a slight smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Thank you for telling me the truth."
Sirius frowned at Hermione, looking oddly sober. "It really wasn't your fault. You do understand that? What happened, it was magic incarnate. You can't blame yourself."
She nodded, though she still struggled to accept his words; to reconcile this idea that she was simultaneously responsible for and yet not at fault for the Event.
There was a moment of silence where it seemed everyone was trying to process the revelation, the soft tick tick of a nearby grandfather clock and murmurs of portraits the only sounds in the room.
"So," Harry said, facing Sirius. "You just took away her memories and left her? What happened next?"
"We managed to remove her from the scene before any of the non-magical authorities got there. James and Lily were able to convince her sister's family to take her in," Sirius explained. "Made some sort of deal – moved them all to a safe house in Cambridge in exchange for them keeping Hermione safe."
Hermione frowned. "I thought they were family friends?"
Sirius shrugged. "I'm sorry; I imagine that was part of the memory adjustment."
Hermione nodded, and suddenly Harry looked horrified by a dawning realization. "They just left her with the Dursleys?" he exclaimed.
Sirius just shrugged. Hermione found it oddly comforting that Harry seemed more appalled about what happened to her than what she did.
"They weren't terrible," Hermione assured Harry.
"Alright," Ginny started after a few moments of silence. "That was – a lot. But it still doesn't explain what he's doing here." She pointed towards Draco. "We have reason to be wary of Death Eaters at the moment."
Hermione implored, "Please, Draco."
Draco looked torn. "I don't know these people."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'm Officer Ginny Weasley, and this is Representative Harry Potter. I'm assuming you've figured out who Sirius is at this point."
Draco drawled, "Yes, but who are you?"
Hermione explained to Draco, "I don't know Harry personally, but he's rather famous – he's a Progressive Representative in Parliament."
"Have you two not been watching the news?" Ginny frowned.
"We've been on the run for nearly two weeks. Haven't exactly had access to a television," Hermione pointed out.
"I'm dead," Harry started dramatically, earning looks of confusion. "Well, that's what we want people to believe."
Ginny elaborated, "He survived two murder attempts last month."
Hermione nodded and thought back to an earlier comment. "And you all believe there's a Death Eater connection?"
Ginny shifted uncomfortably. "Yes."
"Do you know anything about this?" Hermione asked Draco.
He put his hands up. "I promise, I've never heard of Harry Potter or any Death Eater plot against him."
Ginny watched him carefully. "As much as I want to trust you, I don't. So explain precisely why you're here in the WEA, or I'll convert one of the many rooms here into a makeshift prison."
Draco looked at Hermione. "You're not going to like what I have to say."
She nodded. "I expected nothing less."
He paused, watching the others eye him with varying degrees of suspicion. "I was sent by the Dark Lord — to find you." He looked at Hermione, his hands clasped behind his back to keep from shaking. Her face was closed off, but he caught a flash of hurt in her eyes before they narrowed. The other three appeared confused.
"Find me? Why?" Hermione asked.
"He believes you're the subject of a prophecy – that you're a chosen one who will return wizarding might and enable witches and wizards to reproduce as usual," he told her.
"Holy shit," Harry exclaimed.
"What?" Hermione shouted, in response to both men. "What prophecy?" she asked Draco.
He sighed and chanted:
"17 years past magic's great reveal,
In the land claimed by magic,
The chosen shall rise.
The chosen alone will have the power to choose,
To retrieve what was taken,
And restore what was lost,
Lest it be the end for us all."
Hermione narrowed her eyes at Draco. "Ignoring my inherent skepticism of the mystic arts, why would Voldemort think this applies to me?"
"He's crazy," Harry pointed out, rubbing his temples. "He told Astoria's dad he was working to solve the birth rate issue. But everyone knows prophecies are fickle – typically self-fulfilling and only objective in hindsight. We could sit here and argue all day about the validity of this."
While Hermione found this a comforting explanation, she wasn't sure how she felt about being the potential subject of a prophecy. Turning to Harry, she asked, "Could all of this be connected? The timing seems quite coincidental. Draco shows up in my woods, and there's a Death Eater plot against you?"
Harry exhaled, "Potentially. That's what we were discussing before you arrived. We're trying to figure out why Voldemort would collude with the Isolationists and Separatists." He opened his mouth as though to say more but stopped himself.
"Because he's Voldemort," Sirius said as though it were obvious. The other four looked at him curiously, and he elaborated. "He's always wanted to rule all of the magical world. I'm guessing he was just waiting until the prophecy came into play."
An odd silence overcame the room, and everyone looked at Draco. "What?" he asked.
"I think everyone's wondering what to do with you." Hermione looked at him sadly.
"I told you the truth," he replied.
"But what if you hadn't been forced to? Would you have somehow brought me to Voldemort?" Hermione asked, swallowing.
Draco twitched slightly, scratching at his right shoulder. "No. I decided in Bath I wasn't going to follow through." He looked at her expectantly, his eyes pleading.
Hermione simply nodded, her expression remaining neutral, though her lip momentarily quivered.
"But who are you loyal to?" Ginny asked.
Draco gave a humorless chuckle. "Right now, honestly? No one."
"But you haven't quite told us everything," Hermione pointed out, referring to their recent ordeal with Snape.
"That has nothing to do with this," Draco pleaded with her.
She looked at him thoughtfully, and nodded, turning towards Ginny who seemed to hold the authority. "I'm assuming, based on your earlier statement, you want us to remain here until the situation with Harry Potter is resolved?"
Ginny nodded.
Hermione took a moment to consider the facts. Nothing had substantively changed between her and Draco; she had known all along he had been lying, had even guessed that he knew more about her then he ever let on. While the existence of a dubious prophecy was interesting, it didn't necessarily make him more or less of a liar. She also trusted that whatever Snape had shown him in Cokesworth was personal, based on Draco's reaction.
She recalled what Snape told her – about Dumbledore and his plans to defeat Voldemort. And how he'd be waiting for her. She felt she had solved one puzzle just to find another one; she suddenly felt like a pawn in a game she never agreed to play.
Whatever was happening, she believed Draco was just as much a bit player as she was a pawn, despite his participation being voluntary at the onset. "I'm willing to vouch for him," she told Ginny, explaining further. "He's helped me, and while I may not always trust him to be truthful, I do not believe he means us harm."
Ginny looked at her and spoke slowly, "Are you sure?"
Hermione nodded. "Yes. I'm getting the feeling we're all being moved around like pieces on a chessboard. To see who's behind all of this, I believe our best bet is to work together."
"Come in," Ginny shouted in response to the knock at her door. She smiled as Harry tentatively walked into her room, a pensive expression marking his face.
"Strange day," Harry told her, sitting on her bed as she did a series of push-ups and other conditioning exercises.
"Agreed."
"Do you trust them?" Harry frowned.
Ginny stopped and took a sip of water. "They legitimately didn't seem concerned with you, so I trust that they're not involved in your murder attempts. So in that way, it's not so much that I trust them as I don't see them as a threat. But," she paused, "it's all so coincidental. I asked Sirius how often it is that people show up at his door unannounced. He said he can't recall the last time!"
Harry nodded. "I spoke with Hermione, one on one. She seems quite intelligent – and expressed a similar level of disbelief at the sheer coincidence but – if there is a prophecy at play, perhaps that's explanation enough."
Ginny grunted, "I hate prophecies. I took divination in secondary and nearly failed a paper where I was expected to explain the self-fulfilling nature of prophecies."
Harry snorted, "I know what you mean. I dropped divination myself. My teacher kept trying to tell me that in another life I had a magical scar on my forehead." He smiled and shook his head at the memory. "My gut is telling me to trust Hermione, and that Draco, as sketchy as he is, seems to at least be loyal to her."
Ginny smirked. "You caught that too?"
"That was a lot of tension!" Harry laughed.
"Well, we're all here. Perhaps with someone as smart as Hermione around, we'll finally figure out what's going on," Ginny commented. She looked at Harry, her smile fading. "Is something else up?"
"I can't stop thinking about it..." he started. "The Event. I just – I had no idea. I guess I always assumed my dad was changed because of my mum's death. But now that I'm thinking about it, I wonder if he never got over what they did to Hermione."
"I wonder why she has remembered some of her past but not the Event. That's odd right?" Ginny considered.
Harry shrugged. "I don't blame her. I wouldn't want to remember something like that, even if it was out of my control." He shivered at the thought.
Ginny got up and sat next to him on the bed. "Does it make you think about your father in a different light?"
Harry paused, biting his lower lip. "Maybe a little. I still think he focuses on the wrong things, but I'm guessing based on what he saw, he's just so scared of the possible chaos – it's why he fights so hard."
Ginny nodded. "It's interesting. Your father threw himself into politics, ensuring the continued existence of the WEA. Mad-Eye became a Major General in the Corps, presumably to preserve the safety of everything. And Sirius just – gave up."
Harry grabbed her left hand, lightly drawing figure 8's on her palm. "Do you think they made the right choice? By taking Hermione's magic and memories?"
Ginny grabbed his other hand, forcing him to look at her. "I think a young girl saw something horrible, and then something impossible happened. I don't think there was a right choice. I think it was right that they didn't blame her." Ginny paused. "But, I don't quite understand why the Corps or Mad-Eye behaved as they have. Sirius must be right – fear of the truth getting out. But still, it's a bit disconcerting, given the Corps' views on transparency."
They sat in silence for a moment, hand in hand. Harry smiled at her. "I should get going."
Ginny nodded. "Yeah, you probably should." But the sentiment didn't match the look in her eyes.
"No, really," Harry whispered, leaning towards her. "I should definitely get going."
Ginny brushed her fingers through his hair and leaned in, kissing him softly. He didn't seem bothered by the beads of sweat on her brow or the fact she was in ratty workout clothes she'd transfigured from some of Sirius' old junk. Harry grabbed at her waist, drawing them closer together. He deepened the kiss, pressing his tongue against her lips, demanding entrance, his hands grasping under her shirt.
She pushed Harry onto his back playfully, reddening at the brilliant smile he gave her in response. He ripped off his glasses and pulled her down so that she was tucked in the crook of his arm. They faced one another, lying on the bed, faces inches apart.
Ginny realized it was becoming familiar, the feel of Harry's lips pressing against hers. She was starting to recognize his every groan, mumble and murmur in a way that both elated her and terrified her.
Harry would sometimes just look at her, like there was nothing else he would rather do than lay there with her, in spite of who he was. In those moments, she almost pinched herself, not sure if this could be real. He was Harry Potter – a statesman for goodness' sakes – and she was just a Corps Officer, a Weasley. But when he smiled at her, they weren't either of those things.
She realized he wasn't a caricature of his position – it was a mistake she had made when they had that conversation all those weeks ago in his office. In a lot of ways, he wasn't really a politician. He was a hero, a man who wanted to make his mark on the world and make it a better place. She wondered if his life would ever satisfy him, and she felt worry creep into her cheeks.
"What is it, Gin?" he asked, his hand gently rubbing her arm. Somehow even without his glasses on, he was still able to detect the worry lines on her face.
"Just thinking," she breathed, kissing him gently and curling herself into him, saving thoughts of the future for a different day.
Hermione and Draco awkwardly moved about the guest room that Ginny required they share as part of Hermione's vouching for Draco. He seemed to be passive-aggressively moving things around the room, like a petulant child upset his toy was taken.
Hermione exhaled eventually, giving in. "What?" she spat.
"Nothing," he grunted, giving her a pointed look before returning to prepare for sleep.
"No, you're moping. Just out with it." She gestured with her hand.
"Alright." He put down his tooth brush and turned to face her. "You turned your wand on me."
"Yes," she confirmed with a slight shrug.
"Seriously? After everything that's happened, you didn't have my back?" he asked, nearly yelling.
She laughed sardonically. "What did you expect?"
"I expected you to have a little bit of trust in me." He managed to look both hurt and indignant simultaneously.
"Really? Because I should just trust you when all you've done is lie?" she bit back.
"Why do you act like it's so simple?! You've told me pretty much every day you don't trust me. But until today it never seemed to matter! You slept with me knowing full well I was lying to you! So, what changed?"
"Is that what you're hung up on?" she asked, exasperated.
"I don't understand you." He shook his head.
"And I don't understand you," she spat. "You lied about why you're here, about knowing who I was. And now I find out you are in fact engaged. So, what is it? And why didn't you just tell me? After everything we've been through... Had you still not decided whether you were going to hand me over to Voldemort?"
He swallowed, looking somewhat contrite. "I wasn't! I told you, it's been a while since I had any desire to follow the Dark Lord's request."
"So why didn't you say anything?" she questioned, her arms raised. "You had every opportunity – all of the long bus rides, the nights up talking…"
"I was going to. After Bath. But then everything with the Minister happened…" he trailed off.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier, Draco?" she repeated, shaking her head.
"It's... complicated." He paused.
"Well, maybe you should have thought about that – before lying!" She bellowed the last word before calming herself. "I don't want to fight anymore. I just want to go to bed." And before he could respond, she buried herself under the covers, feeling the chasm between them grow wider.
A/N: Andddd they've met...
WEA 101 can be found pinned to my Tumblr at canttouchthis87
Thank you to my beta, ElizColl, for her tireless work on this. Thank you also to Astrangefan and Art3misiA for reviewing/keeping me from going crazy.
I'm on Tumblr at canttouchthis87 posting questionably clever banners for this fic.
I appreciate any and all comment/reviews/emotions.