Welcome to Between the Stars, an AU DM/HG fic that serves as a companion to my one-shot Open Arms. This story is canon through OOTP, we are starting at the beginning of HBP and we will be making several departures from here on out. Rated T just to be on the safe side; there will be some language and some innuendo/mild fluff, but nothing overly graphic.
Of course, I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would be hiding out on my private island sipping Pinot Grigio...but I digress. Please R&R, it would be greatly appreciated!
XxXxX
"I hate and love. And why, perhaps you'll ask.
I don't know: but I feel, and I'm tormented."
-Catullus
XxXxX
Even by Hogwarts standards, the Great Hall was decorated to perfection for the start of term feast. Dozens of magnificent red candles hovered over the students while the ceiling, bewitched as always to look like the night sky, was luminous with stars that twinkled like diamonds in the approaching twilight. Looking up at them, Hermione Granger wished her own thoughts were as clear. Her new Head Girl badge felt heavy and awkward pinned onto her robes. Nobody had been overly surprised when Hermione got her badge and letter over the summer, however when they found out who had been named Head Boy…
"Yep, there it is." Ron Weasley groaned, cutting into Hermione's thoughts. She looked up. Draco Malfoy had made his entrance, the large Head Boy badge gleaming mockingly on his chest.
Harry shook his head. "I mean, I really didn't want the position. But it would have been great just so I could wipe that smirk off of his face."
"I don't know what he has to be feeling so confident about." Ginny said thoughtfully. "Dad told us that Lucius barely escaped doing time in Azkaban after the fiasco at the Ministry. They've got to be under a ton of pressure right now."
"Yet somehow he seems to be even more full of himself than normal." Ron sighed.
Draco sat down with his friends at the Slytherin table while Albus Dumbledore observed him closely. Only someone watching Dumbledore carefully would be able to detect the angry flash in his eyes as he considered that Draco had probably taken the Dark Mark in the months after Voldemort's appearance at the Ministry of Magic. Dumbledore did not think that Draco Malfoy was beyond redemption, but now he sensed that it might only come at great personal cost.
His eyes strayed from the Slytherin table and settled on Harry. Harry Potter, who just a few months ago had lost the only father figure he had ever known, and whose greatest challenge was still to come. Voldemort was gaining strength, and he knew that how Harry handled this challenge would no doubt determine the future of the world as they knew it.
Dumbledore cleared his throat and raised his hands for silence. "Good evening to you all! Welcome back to Hogwarts! I hope that you are all refreshed from your journey and ready for another exciting year of magical education."
Hermione always listened with rapt attention to Dumbledore's speeches, but this year something distracted her. His right hand. There was something wrong with his right hand.
It was withered and black. It looked dead.
There were titters among the students.
"What happened to his hand?" Ginny whispered, horrified.
"No idea." Dean Thomas shook his head.
Dumbledore, correctly interpreting the whispers, merely smiled and lowered his injured hand. "Nothing to worry about." He said cheerily. "It is so wonderful to see returning faces, and to our new students we are so pleased to have you here."
"It was like that over the summer." Harry whispered. "I saw it when we went to visit Slughorn. He wouldn't talk about it then either."
As if on cue, Dumbledore said, "I have just a few start of term announcements for you. I have been asked to remind you that Skiving Snackboxes have been added to the list of prohibited items to have at school. The faculty have also unanimously agreed to host the third annual Yule Ball at the end of term, and this year we have decided to open it up to all students. And finally, I would like you all to join me as we welcome our newest faculty member: Horace Slughorn. He has graciously agreed to take the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts."
A portly wizard with red cheeks stood and waved his hands happily at the applauding students. Ron shook his head. "There goes another one. I can't believe there are still people willing to take that job. Why can't he just give it to Snape and put us all out of our misery?"
Dumbledore then looked serious. "On that note, it is my duty to remind you that we are living in uncertain times. While you are unquestionably safe whilst here at Hogwarts, you will notice that security has increased tenfold around the school. I would ask that you look out for one another, and do not forget to be kind to one another. If we stand together, it will be much harder for us to fall."
Dumbledore's eyes swept over the students before smiling one more time. "And now, the hour is getting late, and I know you are all wishing for your warm and comfortable beds. I therefore will bid you all good night and look forward to an excellent first day of classes tomorrow."
There was a loud scraping noise as dozens of benches were pushed back simultaneously and the students filed out of the Great Hall towards their dormitories. The Gryffindors hung back for a moment to allow Ginny and Colin Creevey to shepherd the first years up the staircase before joining the mass trying to exit the Hall. Draco watched them leave with a glint in his eyes. "Excuse me." He told Pansy and the other Slytherins.
He got up and walked straight for them, stopping directly in front of Hermione. She stopped abruptly. "Malfoy. What do you want?"
"Just to congratulate my fellow Head. I had such a hard time believing the letter I wanted to see it for myself. I guess picking a Mudblood was their way of trying to play fair."
"Name one witch better qualified." Harry said sharply. "I'm surprised you even had the courage to show your face here this year after Voldemort stormed the Ministry. How did your dad avoid Azkaban, Malfoy?"
Draco's eyes narrowed in sudden cruelty.
"Did you cry, Potter?" He asked quietly. "When Black died, I mean. Auntie Bella told me all about it. Counting Diggory, that's two people dead on your watch now, isn't it?"
Harry lunged at Malfoy as Ron and Hermione each instinctively grabbed his arms to try and hold him back. "He's not worth it, mate!" Ron grunted. "Never has been. You know that!"
Harry jerked out of Hermione's grasp and swung at Draco, but the Slytherin stepped nimbly aside as Dean jumped in to help shove him out the door. Hermione was breathing heavily as she watched them go and turned to glare at Draco. "It's too early in the year for your crap, Malfoy. So why don't you just go back to sacrificing virgins or whatever it is you do in your spare time and leave us the hell alone."
She turned on her heel and stalked off.
"I haven't sacrificed any virgins! At least, not this week!" Draco yelled after her.
But she was gone. Draco smirked to himself and sauntered back to his friends. Unconsciously he grasped at his sleeve; the skull tattooed on his arm suddenly stung like an angry bee.
XxXxX
His skin was on fire.
Draco's eyes flew open and he hissed in pain as he clutched his left arm where the Mark was suddenly burning jet black. After a moment of incoherence, he realized it was the middle of the night.
I just left yesterday. What could be so bloody important that it can't wait until morning?
Annoyed, Draco slid out of bed and hastily got dressed. He ran his fingers quickly through his hair and reached blindly for his wand and a small golden skull. He clutched the skull tightly in his fist and was instantly surrounded by a spinning myriad of sound and color. When he felt the movement cease, he looked around cautiously. He was home.
His father stood in front of him holding a thick woolen cloak that he tossed at Draco as soon as he was satisfied that his son was aware of his surroundings. "Put this on. Hurry." He said crisply.
Draco did as he was told and watched Lucius grab a torch off of the wall and motion for Draco to follow him. Draco fought the urge to roll his eyes as he trailed after his father. Really, Lucius did have a flare for the dramatic.
They began the descent into the cellars of Malfoy Manor. It was significantly cooler down there, and icy water dripped from the ceiling in random plops. The walls were made of a monotonous gray stone, and the only light came from Lucius' torch.
When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Lucius pried open a heavy wooden door to reveal a large circular room with a stone dais at the far end. Sitting at the place of honor was Lord Voldemort.
Draco walked about halfway into the room and dropped to one knee in front of the Dark Lord while Lucius watched from a safe distance. Voldemort rose and slowly walked towards Draco. For a moment, all Voldemort did was study him. Then he motioned for Draco to rise. Draco did so, but still he didn't make a sound.
The silence stretched, and Draco began to have the uncomfortable feeling that he was being appraised, like a sheep for slaughter.
"Draco, I have decided that it's time for you to truly begin your service to me." The Dark Lord said finally. "You are in a unique position in that you are still a student at Hogwarts, and so you have access to people and places that the rest of us do not. Are you ready to begin?"
Draco said simply, "Yes, my Lord."
Voldemort nodded approvingly. "Good. Because the mission that I am about to give you will require you to operate right under Dumbledore's nose without being detected. I want you to find a way to get the Death Eaters into Hogwarts."
Draco's breath caught. "But, my lord...it's impossible. The enchantments on the castle are impenetrable…"
"I am sure," Voldemort interrupted him. "that you will find a way around Dumbledore's defenses. Every spell, after all, can be broken. Every enchantment has a loophole. And you will do this, Draco. For if you do not...well...I will be sure to send my condolences to your mother."
A shiver steeled down Draco's spine. He could sense Lucius stiffen behind him, but the older Malfoy stayed silent. Then, because there was nothing else that he could say, he dipped his head in acquiescence and said, "It will be as the Dark Lord wishes."
XxXxX
The next morning, Hermione checked and double-checked her schedule before packing her shoulder bag and stepping out of her new Head Girl dormitory. She was a few minutes early for breakfast but she had been engrossed in Advanced Numerology the night before, and she wanted to squeeze in a bit more reading before her friends got there.
But when they finally did arrive, she was amazed to see that Ron did not have any books with him. As a matter of fact, he didn't have anything with him at all. "You do realize we have class today, right?" She asked him, only half-joking.
Ron looked uncomfortable. He looked at Harry and Harry shook his head. "I'm not telling her. You're on your own for this one."
"Tell me what?" Hermione asked suspiciously.
"Erm, well, last night after dinner I got an owl from Charlie." Ron said. "Turns out I'm off to Romania for the term."
"Romania?!" Hermione echoed skeptically. "How? Why? What about school?"
"Well, over the summer Dad was telling us about this old exchange program that Hogwarts used to take part in." Ron explained. "They used to let students take a term off from school and go study somewhere else…kind of like a Muggle foreign exchange program. But students lost interest over the years because nobody ever really wanted to leave Hogwarts. But they never really got rid of the program, it's just been kind of sitting there…
"Anyways, Charlie was home over the summer and I mentioned maybe studying dragons with him this term. Dad talked to Dumbledore and Charlie pulled some strings and now I just have to go finalize some stuff with McGonagall and I'll be on the train back to London."
"So that's what I caught you guys whispering about over the summer!" Ginny said indignantly. "Never thought I might be interested in going, did you?"
"Well, you couldn't. You haven't taken your O. yet." Ron looked a little guilty. "I didn't say anything because…well…I knew Hermione would never go for missing an entire term of school and it probably isn't safe for Harry to travel out of the country. Besides, I didn't really think it'd work. Bit of a long shot, you know?"
A moment of stunned silence followed Ron's speech. Hermione blinked. "Well, I think that sounds wonderful. I think it's great to get out and see some other parts of the Wizarding world. I never did get to visit Viktor in Bulgaria when he asked…"
"Anyways," Ron interrupted, his ears turning pink. "I should be heading to Romania by the end of the week. Try not to miss me too much, will you?"
"I can't make any promises. Harry will probably cry himself to sleep every night while you're gone though." Hermione smirked.
"Only for the first week or two. Congratulations, Ron. I really am jealous." Harry poked Hermione in the arm good-naturedly.
Hermione stood up. "Well, we normal students have classes to get to. Did you suck it up and sign up for Potions, Harry? Or are you leaving me to Snape all by myself this year?"
Harry made a face. "I didn't quite get the 'Outstanding' O.W.L that Snape wanted, but I think McGonagall had a little word with him so I still got into the class. I can only imagine how Snape's going to make me pay for it."
"And to top it all off, we're still with the Slytherins." Hermione reminded him. "Six straight years of it."
"That is one thing I won't miss." Ron said. "I'll come see you guys before I leave, alright?"
After Ron left, Hermione said thoughtfully, "You know, I think this will be good for him. He needs to get out and do something for himself, without all of his brothers breathing down his neck. And being out of Britain can only be a good thing right now."
Harry nodded. "He's really excited. But I think he was a little nervous about being gone for so long. I think he feels better now that he knows that you're ok with it."
Hermione blinked. "Me? Why?"
There was a sudden flurry of screeches as dozens of owls suddenly poured into the Great Hall. A tawny owl circled the Gryffindor table before landing in front of Hermione with a piece of parchment in its beak. It dropped the letter, and blinked at her expectantly. She offered the owl a bit of her toast, which it nibbled greedily before hooting in thanks and flying out the window.
Miss Granger,
It would make me very happy if you would drop by my office around four o'clock this afternoon so that I may congratulate you on your new appointment as Head Girl.
Professor Dumbledore
PS. I find Sugar Quills to be delectable.
"Sugar Quills?" Hermione asked.
"The password to his office, I'd guess." Harry said. "Does Dumbledore usually meet with the new Heads?"
Hermione shrugged. "I guess so." She stood up. "We'd better get going. The last thing we want is to be late for Snape's first class."
Harry groaned.
XxXxX
By the time four o'clock rolled around, Hermione was exhausted. In addition to receiving an extra helping of Transfiguration homework from Professor McGonagall and a project in Arithmancy that counted for half of her grade, she had personally broken up three separate scuffles between Gryffindor and Slytherin students. Hermione had hoped that it would take a little longer for the effects of Voldemort's return to be felt at Hogwarts, but so far that seemed to be wishful thinking.
She turned the corner heading to Dumbledore's office only to see Malfoy leaning against the wall by the gargoyle. She stopped dead in her tracks. "You've got to be kidding."
Draco looked up. "Granger. Never a pleasure."
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
"I happen to have been invited by the headmaster."
"Me too." Hermione sighed. "I guess Dumbledore called us here to tell us to play nice."
"I guess he did. Just don't expect anything to change between us."
"I couldn't agree more." Hermione said coldly. She turned to the statue. "Sugar Quill."
The gargoyle sprang to life and began to spin, revealing a spiral staircase. Hermione and Draco sized each other up briefly before Hermione took the lead and they entered Dumbledore's office. He was sitting at his desk in the center of the room, waiting for them. "Miss Granger. Mr. Malfoy. Please, take a seat."
Dumbledore gestured to the two empty chairs in front of him. They sat down cagily.
"I expect that this is not news to either of you, but the Dark Lord grows stronger every day." Dumbledore said, getting straight to the point. "However, this time we have a slight advantage, because we are aware of his presence and his activity. We need to proactively remove his advantages before they become our weaknesses, and one of the crucial problems that we need to address is blood relations. Specifically, the distrust and prejudices that exist between Pureblooded wizards and their Muggle born brothers.
"Now, the two of you are in a very unique position. In becoming Head Boy and Girl, you have become the new faces of Hogwarts to all of Britain. Not only are two are the brightest students in this school, but you also represent the opposite ends of the spectrum: a Pureblood and Muggle-born. Therefore, I want to ask the two of you to work together this year; be an example not only for the school, but for the wizarding world as a whole. You must be the face of unity for us all."
Hermione gaped. Was Dumbledore kidding? Unity? Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy? They couldn't be civil for five minutes, let alone work together on anything.
"I realize, of course, that this is not an easy thing that I ask." Dumbledore said gently. "But I trust that the two of you are intelligent enough to put your differences aside and realize there is a lot more at stake here than a school grudge."
"I do need to ask one more thing of you. In two months time the Ministry will be holding a special session to address blood relations in the Wizarding community. It is my wish that the two of you attend, and present a short speech encouraging positive relations between purebloods and Muggle-borns. I'll let you know the exact date when we get closer and I would, of course, like for your speech to be ready by then."
The two of them sat in silence. Hermione dared to glance over at Malfoy but he was determinedly staring straight ahead. "Of course, sir." She said for both of them. Draco nodded, still mute.
"Good." Dumbledore smiled. "And of course, congratulations on your post. I know that we couldn't have picked two finer students."
Dismissed, Draco and Hermione picked up their bags and left Dumbledore's office. At the base of the stairs Hermione took a deep breath and turned to face Malfoy, blocking his exit. Someone was going to have to make the first move and she knew it wouldn't be him. "Malfoy."
"Granger." He replied coolly. "You're in my way."
He moved to slide past her but she blocked his way.
"Stop it. We need to figure this out. I'm not any happier about it than you are…"
"Some other time. Right now I have places to be." Draco feinted to the left then slipped past her and walked down the hall.
"You can't avoid me forever!" Hermione called after him.
At that he turned and laughed. "Avoid? You're assuming I take the time to think about you enough to avoid you."
She rolled her eyes. "You're really going to have to step it up, Malfoy. You're starting to sound as pathetic as a five year old."
Draco walked back towards her. "No, you want to know what's pathetic? This school." He gestured around him. "What does it say about the quality of this place when the best choice for Head Girl is a frizzy haired Mudblood?"
"Look, I realize you'd rather your little girlfriend Parkinson got the position, but clearly Dumbledore saw something superior in me, so you're going to have to deal with it."
Draco threw up his arms in mock self-defense. "Why are you so hung up on Pansy? We're not together, you know. I don't do girlfriends."
She snorted. "You don't do girlfriends? How many girls have you slept with in this castle?"
"Well." Draco said wickedly. "Girlfriend and sleeping together are two very different things. Yes, Pansy and I have slept together. But that was months ago and like I said, monogamy's not really my thing. I'm not like you and Potter. Or is it you and Weasley? The way you three are always together, you're probably shagging both of them at the same time, is that right?"
Hermione was suddenly livid. "I am not shagging ANYONE!"
Draco shrugged. "Whatever you say, although I can't imagine why any guy would put up with you for so long without getting a little something out of it."
Hermione put her hands squarely on her hips. "I hate you. Just stay out of my way this year, Malfoy. Or I'll save Harry the work and kill you myself."
She stormed off in a huff. Draco leaned on a stone column and watched her go. He exhaled softly.
