I am not JK Rowling. I don't own these characters and no money is being made.
Chapter 3: Summer
Malfoy Manor
Draco looked up at the sound of tapping on his window. A large brown owl was perched there. Even though he didn't recognize the bird, he knew who it was from. Getting up from his desk, he opened the large French window and the bird flew to the gilt stand, a letter tied to it's leg.
Draco untied the letter and offered the owl a treat before opening the letter. As he had thought, the letter was from Hermione. Draco smirked at the thought that up until a month before, he had only thought of her as Granger or Mudblood. She was a muggleborn after all, and a third of Gryffindor's golden trio. But since corresponding with him, he had discovered a whole other side to the brainy know-it-all Granger. A side he was only just beginning to admire. Looking back at the letter, he began to read,
Malfoy,
I trust that your summer is going well. Or as well as to be expected. The Weasleys invited me for the summer, but I refused. I told them I was spending time with my parents. In reality, I have been very busy with research ever since you explained better what the Trace entails. I believe I may have found a way to get around that if my plan is to proceed.Interestingly, although I have not mentioned my plans to him,
Harry seems to have the same thoughts. So, if I can convince him, Harry can make a great addition to those plans. With you, and Harry by my side, no one will ever challenge me. Luna has also been speaking to people through her father's magazine, you know, the Quibbler? Apparently, she has incoded a message in the pages so that those who seek justice can see it.
You said in your last letter that Tom has arrived. Just hold tight Draco. I'm almost ready. When the time comes, I will get you out.
Neither Tom, or Dumbledore will know what hits them.
best wishes,
Hermione
Draco's smile grew wider with each line. He hadn't honestly believed that Hermione would switch to the dark so quickly, but she raised valid points, and Draco acknowledged the fact that the bushy haired muggleborn was a very clever and powerful witch. Going back to his desk, he began to write a response to her letter, as well as two others. When he finished, he called Noctowl, his eagle owl, to his room and sent the bird off. Despite the fact that he was to join his mother and they were going to meet with the Dark Lord, Draco couldn't completely let go of the hope he felt. He knew he could count on Hermione Granger.
Ottery St Catchpole
Luna Lovegood looked up to see the now familiar eagle owl soaring above her and whistled to it. Hermione had been quite surprised that Luna had a proficiency for the dark arts. While the Lovegoods were mostly a Light family, Luna's mother was not entirely. Luna still had her mother's spell book and within it's pages, she had access to every spell, Light and Dark, that her mother had ever used, invented, or studied. So Luna was looking forward to what Malfoy had to say about Hermione's next, or rather, first move.
She was not disappointed.
Because of the nature of their letters, they had all agreed on using aliases for their letters, but only Hermione knew all of them.
Eclipse,
She agrees with your seeking more people. Proceed and gather more people.
She wants plenty of people behind her by September 1st. That is when She will make her move.
Phoenix
While rather short, Luna understood the message. With a rather unpleasant smile, Luna began writing letters to people she believed that would be agreeable to Hermione's thoughts.
Little Whinging, Private Drive
Mouse
Yeah, I know you don't like that name. But She chose it. No one is likely to know who you are this way.
Eclipse has some new names for us. Of course, I don't know them. But we will find out formally one week before September 1st.
Tom is still looking.
Griffon
Harry Potter lowered the letter, grinning. He knew who "Griffon" was, and had to laugh that he would pick something so closely associated with the house he hated. Although there was two exceptions.
What interested him more was that Hermione was recruiting. Recruiting muggleborn witches and wizards, and planning nothing short of an uprising, while using Voldemort's rise to power as a smokescreen for her own plans.
Harry sat back on his rickety old bed and thought back to that final week at Hogwarts after the Battle at the Ministry.
"Hermione! Will you please tell me where we are going?" said Harry, as Hermione practically dragged him through the castle. Harry had to double check to make sure the Invisiblity Cloak was still covering them.
Hermione said nothing until they reached the fifth floor and she stared at the wall for a moment. When Harry saw the doorway magically appear, he knew where they were.
"It's kind of redundant to hold a DA meeting, now that Dumbledore is back. " said Harry.
To his surprise, Hermione gave him a very cold and almost evil look that better suited Snape than the witch he knew. Hermione pulled him through the door and into...Harry had to blink. The Room of Requirement had transformed into what looked like a command center. A huge table dominated the center of the room, covered in books and pieces of parchment. Half a dozen quills were scribbling away, entirely of their own accord. Against the wall, a large corkboard was filled with pictures of Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, and, for some reason, Professor Sinistra, the Astronomy teacher. These pictures showed, Harry blinked again, the four teachers as they were moving around the castle. Harry watched, amazed as Sinistra climbed the marble staircase in the Entrance Hall, pausing here and there as she stopped and greeted a few portraits; Snape appeared to be in his office, mixing a sickly green potion; McGonagall was in her Animagus form, prowling the grounds. (Harry only knew it was her because she suddenly appeared normally as she checked the school gates) and Dumbledore appeared in an office that was not the one at Hogwarts. Harry wondered if it was at the Ministry.
"Hermione, what is all this?" Harry asked, as Hermione was examining whatever the quills had written.
"Research Harry. But we have to wait until the others get here. " Hermione replied tersely.
Harry remembered his shock when both Luna and Malfoy joined them in the room. Hermione had outlined everything, the pictures and parchment was from surveillance. Dumbledore was actively helping the Ministry to collect the Muggleborns, under the assumption of protection. However, that protection had turned out to be only Dumbledore sending them to a fortress well out in the mountains of Britain. Sinistra was in charge of locating the Muggleborns, and McGonagall was ensuring that they were transported by portkey. They had no idea what Snape was up to, but they were watching him all the same.
More shocking was Draco Malfoy. He had admitted that Voldemort had already insured Malfoy's place as a Death Eater. Malfoy was going to be their inside man with Voldemort. And Luna; Luna had provided the Dark books and means of surveillance from her mother's spell book.
Despite the evidence that he had been shown, Harry still couldn't believe it. This was Dumbledore after all! But the more he looked at the piles of evidence, the less certain he felt. After all, Dumbledore had allowed him to face Voldemort on multiple occasions, placed him in danger in ways that even a fully qualified wizard would find difficult. As Harry thought about that particular fact, suddenly his image of the old wizard became something dark and twisted. Not to mention that accursed prophecy that Dumbledore had neglected to mention until only a week ago. Now, Dumbledore looked as evil as Voldemort did.
Harry looked up at Hermione, Malfoy and Luna. Studied each one's faces.
Then Harry Potter made his choice.
"I'm with you."
_
A/N
If it was not immediately obvious, this fic is AU, with Dumbledore bashing. Ron will be featured very little. Certain members of the Order will be present, but depending on how this story unfolds, will decide who will side with whom.Next update should be ready on Thursday.