Mournful that day.
When from the ashes shall rise
a guilty man to be judged.
A cloud of dust billowed up from the floor as they apparated into the room.
They were inside a small, rundown stone building on the outskirts of an old farm plot. Probably used to be some sort of shed for gardening supplies, or extra dry food storage. There was light to be found. Cold air whistled in through the cracks of the singular window.
"Lu-" a voice started to say, but Hermione held up her hand, silencing them with a shake of her head. Her finger pointed down towards the nearly imperceivable outline of a trap door on the dusty floorboards.
After a few meaningful glances, Hermione took a step towards it, wand raised slightly in front of her. She felt the rest of her team moving into position, the swish of the fabric of their clothes being the only indicator any movement had happened. Perfect.
With a sharp flick of Hermione's wand, the door opened in a shock of movement, the sound ringing throughout the room.
Hermoine was the first to take a step towards it. This was her mission, after all.
As her head cleared the entrance, the sound of a raspy voice rose up from the depths of the secret room. "Stupefy!"
Hermione ducked back just in time. The three wizards behind her moved forward, ready for a duel. Nervous energy made the room feel heavy.
Then, just as they were about to move forward, the familiar sound of apparition came from the depths. Crack!
Hermione let out a desperate groan. "We were supposed to put in place the anti-apparition as soon as we arrived! What the hell happened?" She spun around, shooting all of them incredulous glares. "We were so close this time. Right under our fucking feet. Literally. Under our feet."
They looked sheepishly at anywhere besides her face. The group was young, and very new to the order. She quickly realized that yelling wouldn't do anyone good right now. She softened her face, but kept her tone firm.
"Never mind. We move forward. We'll find him again, I know it. I can sense him getting weaker. Did you hear his voice? He sounds near death."
The wizards nodded in agreement. Hermione let a few beats of meaningful silence hang in the air before she continued. Nervous eyes watched her with a mix of fear and adoration.
"I'll stop at nothing to catch him. And honestly, I'm almost at the point where I don't care if we bring him in dead or alive." A smirk played at her lips. "Chins up everyone. We're going to give Draco Malfoy what he deserves. You have my word. Now let's get the hell out of here."
"Minerva's invited us out for a drink tonight. Do you want to come along?" Ron stood in the doorway to the kitchen at the Burrow, his face red and sweaty from the afternoon Quidditch match.
"Where at?"
"Some muggle pub. She says a break from all things magical could do us some good...and also something about craving questionable, watered-down lager. I don't know about her sometimes."
Hermione laughed despite her drab mood. "Yeah, she's full of surprises. Anyway, I'll think about it. I'm not quite in the mood now but I might change my mind."
A floorboard squeaked as Ron shifted his weight awkwardly. Hermione knew without looking up that he was watching her with concern. He had been doing that a lot lately. Everyone had.
"Alright then. I'll come find you again before we leave. S'later…" The front door closed with a loud thud as Ron made his way back outside. Hermione felt a little guilty for brushing off her friend, but only a little. There was simply too much on her mind.
Yesterday had been the third time Draco Malfoy had slipped from their grasp. They've been tracking him for a little over half a year. It had taken them months to get even the slightest clue as to where he was. That was impressive in it's own right. There weren't many death eaters left now, which meant he was most likely travelling with a very small group, or, as Hermione was beginning to suspect, completely alone. That made their failed attempts at capture even more frustrating. How long could one person evade an entire movement? He had practically the entire wizarding community of England looking out for him. Waiting for him to slip up.
Hermione had very willingly taken up the role to lead this capture. Draco Malfoy was her project. A loose end from the war that she was determined to tie up herself.
So, as the rest of her friends and colleagues were transitioning back into a normal life-that is, a life without war, without enemies, without constant fear and stress- Hermione remained stuck in the past. She couldn't move forward until Draco Malfoy was punished for his actions and involvement. She couldn't let him get away. She simply couldn't go on until he faced justice.
Those vengeful thoughts were playing on a loop in her mind that morning. After Ron left, she sat at the kitchen table for a few more minutes, considering the half-empty bowl of oatmeal before finishing it off in forceful bites.
Another set of footsteps sounded from the hallway, and moments later Harry rounded the corner. "Oh, hey Hermione. I've been looking for you. Apparently we're all going out to-"
"Ron's already told me. I'm not sure if I'm going yet. I'm a little in my head at the moment."
"When aren't you?" She knew that Harry had meant it in a joking way, but there was an implication in the question that Hermione didn't miss.
"You're right," she smiled for the both of them. "I can't really focus on anything else until I finish this. It wouldn't feel right."
Harry's face went through a mix of expressions. She knew he had a lot to say, but he wouldn't say all of it, more for her sake.
"I understand."
She knew he did. Probably more than anyone ever would. He had his big adventure. His big moment, his ultimate test of self. He went through the obsession, the doubt, the determination, the frustration. The only difference was that he had succeeded. He passed his text. He won.
Hermione hasn't won yet. Harry would understand perfectly how much that was killing her inside.
The muffled sound of Mr. Weasley shouting excitedly from outside jerked Hermione back to attention. It took her a moment to realize she hadn't rescinded to Harry yet.
"Okay, I'm going."
"To the pub?!"
"Yes."
"Fantastic!" He turned abruptly and joined the others outside. After a few moments, a chorus of voices started chanting from the makeshift Quidditch pitch.
"Hermione! Hermione! Hermione! Pub! Pub! Pub!"
She grinned, listening to her name being shouted by her friends. It felt good. She left the kitchen and went to join them, running through the lush grass that surrounded the burrow. The late summer air was humid. No wind to move the hot air around, and thick clouds were moving in quickly. Sweat had already begun to pepper her shoulders. Not the ideal weather, but Hermione felt particularly happy about it nonetheless as she ran out to join her friends.
"Me! Me! Me! Pub! Pub! Pub!"
Harry, Ron, George, and Mr. Weasley scooped her up (rather messily), and propped her up on their shoulders as they did a little victory lap.
Hermione enjoyed a few moments of that uninterrupted joy before a thought came creeping back to the front of her attention.
This is why you have to find Draco Malfoy. He almost took this away from you. He took it away from so many other people.
Despite her previous resignations, Hermione had a great time out with everyone. It was a wonderful group of people that night. Minerva, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Neville, George, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all grouped noisily around 2 square tables in the back corner of the pub. It was a dim, slightly grimy little place with stained dark green carpet, and wood paneling covering every wall. The inside smelled faintly of frying oil, and not so faintly of sweat. The drinks were cheap. It was wonderful.
The topic of Hogwarts came up during the second round.
"You know who I miss the most? Professor Binns."
"Shut up, Ron." George and Hermione say at the same time.
"Seriously. I respect him for being an unbelievably boring man. After all of our excitement over the last 2 years, I would really appreciate a lifestyle like that."
"Would it be considered a lifestyle if he's dead?"
"George!" Mrs. Weasley swats him on the shoulder.
"You can come see him, if you like. He's still there. You know, I'm not sure he even realizes there was a battle at Hogwarts." Minerva said plainly, causing a round of laughter to go around the group. "You really should consider a visit. There are many professors who would be happy to see you all. Even you, George." The headmistress fought back a grin.
George scoffed in fake disgust. "You couldn't pay me to go back to that place."
Ron jumped in. "You could pay me."
Another round of laughter. Hermione wiped a single tear of happiness away from the corner of her eye.
As they were all leaving, Mr. Weasley pulled Hermione away from the group discreetly. "I wanted to tell you earlier, but I told myself I would wait until the night was over, give you some time to have fun."
She knew instinctively. "He's been spotted again already?"
Mr. Weasley sighed quietly. "Yes. Probably. Most likely. I heard news this afternoon from a friend of mine in the Ministry who likes to fish in Teignmouth. He thinks he saw Malfoy getting onto a barge. We're tracking it now. We have about 12 hours to get on there before it arrives at it's next stop, and we assume Malfoy will be moving again after that."
"Give me a couple hours, I'll be ready." Hermione figured she could get back to the Burrow, have a quick cold shower to sober up a bit, and have at least a little time to prepare. As much as she wanted to leave right that second, she needed to be sure she was fully ready. She couldn't mess up this time. The thought burned inside her. "Who else?"
"I already talked to Neville, he agreed to help if you were up for it. And if you don't mind, I'd like to come along."
"Mr. Weasley, I-" Hermione was surprised. Arthur hadn't gone out on any missions in nearly a year. Once things started settling into place, Molly insisted that he stay out of the action. He took on more of a mentor role, helping behind the scenes as much as possible. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely. I've quite missed the action, truthfully. Plus, I have a good feeling about this time, and it would be particularly rewarding to see him caught, don't you think?"
Arthur Weasley has never liked the Mafoy family in any capacity. He despised them even before the war. He probably wanted to see the last free Malfoy burn almost as much as Hermione did.
She gave him an understanding nod. "Yes. I think that, too. Tell Neville to meet us outside the Burrow at exactly-" she glanced down at her watch, "-1:15. Two hours from now. Thank you, Mr. Weasley."
He clasped her shoulder. "No, thank you." They stood in silence for a few moments. Mr. Weasley bounced on the balls of his feet and gave her a big grin. "I'm actually a little bit nervous ,if you can believe that. It's been awhile. Are you nervous?"
Hermione felt the energy in her fingertips. The end of this was so close. She could feel it. "No, I'm excited."