Hospital Wing
It's a long time before the magic wears off. When it finally does, the Slytherins are all too embarrassed and frustrated to say much of anything. Everyone but Draco heads back to their common room with their heads down. He, instead, runs outside, hoping to find a hint about what's happened with Hermione. Is she in the Forbidden Forest with Grawp?
No. He spots her - them - high in the sky, six specks flying past the setting sun, traveling by - thestrals ? Yes, that must be what they're doing. The only other option Draco can think of is brooms concealed by the Disillusionment Charm, but as fast as they're moving it's got to be thestrals.
If Draco wants to catch up to them, he'll have to find a thestral too. For one wild second, this is the thought that runs through his mind. Because he's forgotten all about his and his family's safety. He thinks only of dashing into the forest and - and -
But how would he find one? Thestrals are invisible to him. His broom would be much slower, but maybe - Well, no, that won't work either. Because where are they headed? Draco doesn't know.
Wait, no, really. Where the fuck are they headed?! What kind of danger has Potter gotten Hermione into now?
Feeling nearly hopeless but not completely so, Draco heads back to Snape's office. But it's empty.
Fuck! Now what? Not sure what else to do, Draco sits on the ground and begs to the universe that Snape's absence means he's doing something helpful. And then he waits.
And he waits.
And he waits.
The rest of the night is nothing but tortuous waiting.
Snape eventually returns, but he tells Draco he knows very little about the situation, and what he does know he is not at liberty to share. He adds that Draco mustn't pester him for information or he'll have to take drastic measures.
"Drastic measures? What do you mean by that?"
Snape doesn't answer. Instead, he says, "If you'd like, I'll make arrangements with Madam Pompfrey for you to sleep in the hospital wing tonight. That way, if I learn anything I am at liberty to share, we can speak freely, without drawing attention from Vincent Crabbe or Gregory Goyle."
It's far less than satisfying, but Draco's sure arguing with Snape will get him nowhere. Besides, his mind has gotten so cloudy with fear. He's not sure what he would even say to try to persuade Snape to divulge more information. Giving in, he heads to the hospital wing, climbs into one of the beds closest to the main doors, and refuses Madam Pomfrey's offers to administer a sleeping draught.
Despite the lack of potion, Draco manages to doze off, but only for short spurts here and there. Finally, around one in the morning, he wakes to the sound of several people entering the hospital wing. None of them look to be in too bad a shape. All on their feet, though Hermione - Hermione! She appears to be okay apart from a limp. With help from a pink-haired companion, who is sure to be Nympadora Tonks, she shuffles across the room and into one of the beds catty-corner from Draco.
He takes a moment to better assess the rest. In addition to those who flew away on thestrals, there's Tonks, and Remus Lupin, and Mad-Eye Moody, and - Wait, where's Potter?
Draco's stomach lurches. His heart pounds. What's happened to Harry Potter!?
"Where is he? Where have you all been?" he shouts. No one replies. They're all busy getting tucked into beds or shutting curtains to maintain privacy for others. This will not do. Draco needs answers. Now! He throws off his blanket and darts towards Hermione.
Madam Pompfrey cuts him off. "She's fine," she says in a hushed tone. "Just a sprained ankle and a few bruised ribs."
"And Potter?"
"With Professor Dumbledore. In his office."
"Dumbledore? He's back?"
"He's back. Come along now, dear. To bed with you." Madam Pompfrey puts a hand on Draco's shoulder to guide him, but he doesn't move. "Mr. Malfoy, look at me," says Pomfrey. "Don't risk it. Don't start behaving recklessly after all this time. You've got nothing but allies in this room, but even so, the fewer people who know about you and Miss Granger, the safer you'll be."
Draco nods, some level of comfort finally sinking in. But some confusion too.
"Did Snape tell you about us?" he asks.
Madam Pompfrey smiles sympathetically. "He told me only that you were feeling restless and would benefit from a night in the hospital wing. But I haven't forgotten your visit to see Miss Granger after she was petrified. I... Well, let's just say I can read between the lines."
Draco doesn't need others to validate his relationship with Hermione, but damn it feels good when it happens. Theo's knowing grin. The tenderness in McGonagall's eyes. And now this. The way Madam Pomfrey has made him feel so - What's the word for it? Seen? Understood? Supported? Accepted? Yes, to all of the above. It's bloody brilliant, the way she makes him feel all those things just by saying, 'I can read between the lines.'
Like it's obvious. Like there was never any doubt. Like they're inevitable. Like it's written in the stars: Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger are meant -
"Her injuries are simple ones to fix," says Madam Pomfrey. "She'll be released in the morning, same as you. You can wait until morning, can't you, dear?"
"Until morning," Draco agrees, and he returns to his bed.
Snape rouses him from his slumber late the next morning and tells him he's released from the hospital wing. "Clean yourself up and meet me in my office as soon as you can," he instructs.
To Draco, it sounds like he'll learn everything Snape wasn't at liberty to discuss last night. But does that conversation have to take place today? Or with him at all? Why not Hermione? She's back, so Draco would much rather learn what happened from her. He looks to her hospital bed, but the curtains are drawn.
"I've just finished speaking with her," says Snape. "She's to report to my office as well."
What? Why? Draco finds something about this conversation, short and one-sided as it's been so far, terribly uncomfortable. A far cry from his conversation with Madam Pomfrey. Snape's so serious and slow to share any real information. As if -
As if he's trying to keep Draco from getting upset? Putting off hard truths until they're in a private setting? Maybe Snape knows something Madam Pomfrey didn't. But what could that be? Everyone returned safely from wherever they were. And Dumbledore's the Head of Hogwarts once again. So what could -
Oh, of course.
"Something's happened to my father, hasn't it?" asks Draco. "That's what you want to discuss in your office?"
For a second, Snape might as well be a statue. No reaction. Nothing to interpret. But then he gives a single, slow nod. "Your father's been taken to Azkaban," he says.
Relief. Draco's surprised to discover that, at first, relief is his dominant emotion. At least Father's not dead. But then a different emotion takes over. Fear. Because what's to become of him and Mother now that Father's out of the Manor, no longer able to act as a barrier between them and the Dark Lord?
Over the winter holiday, Mother said Father had been assigned a task which put him at risk. Draco hasn't thought much about that. It's just easier that way. But if Father's been taken to Azkaban, does that mean he failed at his task? And if so, how will the Dark Lord respond? Will he seek retribution?
They should go into hiding. That's Draco's next thought. He and Mother should go into hiding like Theo did. Maybe even with Theo. With the Tonks family. Is Nymphadora still around?
Maybe she's in Snape's office already. Maybe that's what this upcoming meeting is all about, to discuss how to get Mother safely out of the Manor so they can go to her sister's. Because hiding sounds - Well, not nice. But better than any alternative Draco's capable of imagining at the moment.
But will Mother even agree to it? Seems unlikely. Azkaban is supposed to be inescapable, impenetrable, but in recent years there have been a handful of breakouts. Which were probably aided by break-ins. So when it suits him, the Dark Lord can probably get to Father. Meaning Mother won't agree to hiding. She won't leave Father behind, not while he's in a vulnerable position.
The question, then, is whether or not Draco is willing to leave her behind.
He desperately wants the answer to be yes. Because Mother, though she may not demonstrate it in ways as infuriating as Father - Mother holds just as tightly to her beliefs about blood purity.
So good riddance to them both! ...Right?
The thought barely forms in Draco's mind before it flickers away again.
Mother. Mum. The woman who made his childhood not only easy, but good. Happy. The woman who never denies him anything, not even his relationship with Hermione in the end. How could Draco turn his back on her? He can't. He won't.
Fuck. Theo was right. 'I know how loyal you are to your parents… You would never leave them.'
What's in store for him and Mother, then? A couple of Crucios as Vol- Fuck! A couple of Crucios as the Dark Lord blows off steam regarding Father's failure?
Or something worse?
If McGonagall's right, Draco needn't worry about Avada Kedavra. Not for himself. But surely not for Mother either, right? He quickly measures the situation as best he can. Everyone loves Mother. She dotes on other pureblood families, is endlessly generous towards them. And during the Dark Lord's stay at the Manor, Mother's undoubtedly been the most perfect hostess he's ever seen. Surely, he can't go around killing people like her, not without a damn good reason. Otherwise he'd lose too many of his much needed followers. Wouldn't he?
So probably not the Killing Curse. But the Cruciatus, definitely. And the Imperius?
Draco can't be sure, but it seems that because he's a pureblood and the son of a Death Eater, it would offend the Dark Lord to have to put him under the Imperius Curse. His opinion on the matter would be that it shouldn't require magical control for Draco to want to do his bidding.
Do his bidding… Recruitment, then? Is that what's in store for him?
'There was one nearly as young as you last time,' McGonagall told him almost exactly a year ago. And then she said he was a Most Sacred Son and, as such, the Dark Lord wouldn't put him in direct danger.
Seems now, though, that she should have said, 'He won't kill you himself. But if your father loses his favor, he won't have any qualms about you dying in his service.' That would have been a more accurate way of stating it.
Recruitment. Fuck.
Is that really what Draco should expect? He looks at Snape. Mere seconds have passed since the dreadful news was spoken, Draco's thoughts racing faster than ever in that time. But Snape's expression gives nothing away. But of all the thoughts, the ones about recruitment have latched on tightest, so they seem the most fitting to ask about first.
"Sir, I -"
Snape interrupts him. "We have much to plan for," he says. "I'll see you in my office shortly." And then he sweeps out of the hospital wing before any other words can be exchanged.
They have much to plan for? As in Draco's got options available to him other than sit idly by and wait for his doomed fate to arrive?
And Hermione will join them for this planning meeting? Snape said earlier that she's to report to his office too, didn't he?
As if thinking of her draws her over, Hermione's now crossing the room, her steps hurried and her head swiveling around to check that no one is watching. She draws the curtains, sits next to Draco, and squeezes his hand.
"We haven't got much time before Snape's expecting us," she whispers, "and he won't like it if he finds out I spoke with you ahead of time. So do your best to conceal this from him, won't you?"
Draco doesn't have time to answer before she's saying more.
"I need to be as certain as possible, need to hear it from you rather than taking his word for it. Do you think your mother would be willing to go into hiding?"
Too overwhelmed for words, Draco simply shakes his head sadly.
"And you think it's too great a risk to ask her, have her answer be no, and still have to live under the same roof as Voldemort? Because what if he found out that conversation took place?"
Something about Hermione's manner, the way she rushes through her questions or the look in her eyes perhaps, tells Draco she's already figured more than he has. But she's going over it one more time, just in case.
"And you won't leave your mother to suffer alone," she adds. "I'm certain that's the case, no need to -"
"Do you know Snape's plan?" Draco asks.
"I do, and I hate it. And you're going to hate it too."
"Can't you to tell me what it is?"
Hermione looks at him with a deep well of sympathy. "I'm sorry, but there isn't enough time. Besides, if Snape realizes I didn't go straight to Dumbledore like he told me to -"
"Dumbledore?"
"I'm supposed to go to his office first. But Snape will explain everything. You'll get answers, just..." They take a hard look at each other, and Hermione must realize now how scared Draco is because she makes a better attempt to comfort him. "I shouldn't have said I hate the plan. I don't. It's... It's not such a bad plan. Only the timeline bothers me, but maybe… There might be something I can do about that part."
After a beat, her eyes shine a little brighter.
"You have an idea?" Draco asks, comforted by the possibility.
Hermione nods. "I think so. I think it'll work. Only... When you first said you wanted us to be more than friends - When you admitted that in front of Harry and Ron - Did Snape ever see that during Occlumency lessons?"
"No, it ever came up."
"Perfect, says Hermione. She bends down and gives Draco a short but firm kiss. "Make sure it doesn't come up today either. Use misdirection if you have to."
"We're doing Occlumency lessons? Today?"
"I have to go. Take your time showering and all that, and I'll see you in Snape's office in a while."
"Hermione?"
"I have to go. I'm sorry." She kisses him again. "I'm sorry," she repeats, and then she's out the door, same as Snape a few minutes ahead of her.
