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Chapter 22
Dumbledore's gone. Draco went to his office right after the diadem was destroyed, but the old wizard wasn't there, and the past headmasters said that he was out. Draco went on to bed after that, and the next morning after he ate breakfast, the man was still gone. He wanted Draco to come to him after the diadem was destroyed, but how can he do that if he's gone?
Draco recalled what Dumbledore said about him maybe knowing where another horcrux is located. Could that be where he went?
A few days passed, and Dumbledore still wasn't back. Draco sent him a note, but he doubted that the owl he sent it off with found Dumbledore. He hoped that it did. He felt extremely proud of himself, and he selfishly wanted to hear some praise, and he knew he couldn't tell anyone what he did, or show the broken pieces of the diadem. After he destroyed the horcrux and the diadem was just a normal trinket, he incinerated the remnants of it with a spell.
Maybe there is someone he could tell. During the lunch hour, he found that same corridor he met Helena in. As he entered it, he found no one there. Maybe Helena only comes out at night when no students would be around. Maybe he'll try after dinner. He turned and his heart nearly jumped out of him at seeing Luna standing there looking at him with her bright blue eyes.
"Bloody hell," he let out as his heart hammered inside of him from the surprise.
"I apologize for startling you," she said lightly. "Are you looking for Helena?"
He cleared his throat, appearing dignified and not like he got startled profusely. Of course Luna would be here—her common room is in the next corridor. "Yes. I want to relay a bit of news to her."
"Well, you may want to come back after it has gotten dark. She does not like to be out and about when other people may be around."
"I figured. I'll come back."
He strode on passed her, passed that fruity perfume that smelled of plums, but stopped when she said, "Are you going to tell her that you did what Professor Dumbledore asked of you?"
He turned to face her. She knows of this situation, so why didn't he think of telling her? "Yes, I did. I wanted to let Helena know since she has been saddened by that diadem for so long."
Luna smiled. "That is awfully kind of you, to tell her something that would give her great comfort and peace."
He felt his neck heat up at her calling him kind, even though he has been called such recently by others due to his change in character. "Well, yes, I suppose. I came to her mainly since Dumbledore has been away. He told me to let him know I accomplished what he asked of me, but he's not around for me to tell him."
"Oh, well, you may be able to now. I heard that he has left for a time, but as I was walking here, I heard someone say that they saw Professor Dumbledore walking to his office. That is actually one of the reasons I came up to you just now—I figured you would want to know, mainly since Harry, Ron and Hermione were seen walking with him as well. My whole house was chattering about it at the lunch table a little bit ago."
His heart made the sharpest jolt that he could remember. "Hermione's back?!"
"Yes, and..."
He didn't give her time to finish because he rushed passed her and to Dumbledore's office. His pulse going at an alarming speed, he ran through the corridors and up stairs until he reached Dumbledore's office. He said the password and got in the winding staircase. He breathed heavily as his heart hammered through his head and his hands were going numb.
Hermione's back. They're all back. He's missed her terribly and only wished she could have been there when he destroyed the diadem. He wished that she could have been at his side the whole time, even in Azkaban. It would have made everything so much better.
The staircase stopped and he stepped into the office. His gaze immediately went to Dumbledore's desk, and he saw him sitting there, and three chairs in front of him were occupied. He saw bushy hair.
"Ah, looks like we have some unexpected company," Dumbledore commented and the three in the chairs looked behind them. Hermione let out a loud gasp and jumped out of her chair.
"DRACO!" she yelled as she ran down the steps and into Draco's arms, almost knocking him over. Her lilac perfume overcame him, as well as the smell of smoke for some reason, as she hugged him so tightly, he could barely breathe. He wrapped his arms around her just as tight as pure relief and happiness rushed through his whole soul at holding her again, and knowing that she's safe.
"Oh, God, I missed you," she said into his shoulder and his face buried in her hair, and his fingers gripped her red sweater on her back.
"I missed you more than you can imagine. I worried about you."
"I worried about you, too. Dumbledore told us all that has happened."
He shouldn't be surprised by that. "I see. Then you should know why I did it, then."
"I do." She brought herself in front of him. "You're barking mad."
He let out a chuckle, agreeing with that. He gazed at her pretty face that had a dirt mark here and there. Nonetheless, he leaned in and pressed his lips on hers, and she returned the gesture. The feeling of her lips felt amazing running with his, and his arms wound completely around her. He felt her fingers in his hair, and he about moved her against the wall, but someone loudly clearing their throat reminded him of where they were. She may have forgotten that for a moment as well.
"Alright, already, we get that you two are happy to see one another," Ron quipped, agitation in his voice. "Can we get back to this, please?"
Both Hermione and Draco let out another bit of laughter, then went up to the desk and sat down in chairs next to each other and Draco had her right hand, happy to hold it again. Ron's still not pleased with their relationship, which is no surprise.
"It is fortunate that you arrived at this moment, Draco, mainly since I was about to send out a message telling you to come," Dumbledore said. "We were just discussing how you've been occupying your time since Miss Granger, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley have been in hiding."
"I honestly couldn't believe it when he told us that you asked to be sent to Azkaban for detention," Ron said. "I mean, yeah, you were a right-git in the past, but to be sent to Azkaban for it? As much as it pains me to say it, you didn't deserve to go there. Crabbe and Goyle, yes, but not you. Hopefully they get sent there when they get back," he added in a low, angry tone.
Draco was shocked to hear such words come from that redhead. "I appreciate that, but you all know what I did and what I tried to do. I thought it a fair punishment."
They remained silent to that, basically stating that what he said was true. That hurt a bit. Dumbledore said, piercing the silence, "Draco has done more than just stay a few days in Azkaban. He has done just what you all have been doing while you were in hiding."
"Looking for horcruxes?" Harry asked, and Draco stared in disbelief at them, then at Dumbledore.
"Wait, they have been looking for horcruxes this whole time?" he asked, not believing that he was right when he guessed what they were up to.
"Indeed they have," Dumbledore answered. "I sent them to their respective locations, and not for a holiday. In those locations, I placed books, essays and letters that I have copied, asking them to study them. The various documents gave hints as to what the horcruxes are and where to find them."
"I don't think I have done more reading in my life," Ron enthused. "At least not all at once."
"And Draco has been doing that as well?" Hermione asked and looked at him.
"He never had to study to understand what they are and where they might be," said Dumbledore. "I showed him the same memory that I showed you, Harry, the one of Tom Riddle speaking with Professor Slughorn about horcruxes and how to make them. We went from there after that, discussing the nature of horcruxes. While the three of you were out looking for those items, Draco was able to locate one and destroy it using a basilisk fang in the Chamber of Secrets."
The stunned faces that the three of them made was almost comical, but Draco wasn't lingering on that. "Headmaster, you received my owl?"
"Oh, no, I never received anything. I was confident that you would accomplish this because I sensed your burning desire to end Lord Voldemort. I just apologize that I was not here after the fact. You see, I went to seek out the horcrux that I said I may know the location of. It was the correct location, but the item was a replica of the real horcrux. Once I realized that, I found Miss Granger and helped her retrieve the real horcrux at The Ministry of Magic. And wasn't that fun, Miss Granger?"
"Indeed, Sir," she said, and Draco looked to her with a question in his eyes. She explained, "I was placed at a sea cottage located on a beach, and for four days, I studied endlessly from books discussing horcruxes, and papers written about them, ones that were left there by Professor Dumbledore. I studied children's stories that were left for me to read as well. I came to understand the nature of horcruxes through my reading and studying, yet I couldn't figure out where one could be. I had an idea, one that came to me about three days in, but I wasn't sure. The day after, Professor Dumbledore shows up at the front door and asks if he could assist me in finding a horcrux that he thought he found, but was a replica. After discussing it, and going over letters from various people, we figured out that this horcrux, Salazar Slytherin's locket, was in The Ministry of Magic, and we had to use polyjuice potions to transform ourselves into people who worked there so we wouldn't be recognized."
"It's no surprise to me to know who had the blasted locket, after you told me about it," Ron said, then made a pointed glance Draco's way. "You were rather acquainted with her, Draco. You remember who made everyone's lives a living hell here last year and created a certain squad to watch us all in Dumbledore's Army?"
Draco's brows pushed together, remembering last year all too well. "Umbridge? She had that horcrux?"
"Indeed," Dumbledore said. "She didn't know it was such, though, since it was given to her. But yes, you were correct in surmising why she was the way she was, Mr. Weasley. Horcruxes have charms placed on them to protect them from people who want to do just what we were doing. Salazar Slytherin's locket possessed the power to make one incredibly angry and bitter after wearing it, and that is just what happened to Dolores. I assume now, without the horcrux, she is a rather pleasant woman."
It made sense now. That's why Draco's energy was drained as he had the diadem. He knew there were side effects in possessing it.
"And we destroyed it using the Sword of Gryffindor," Hermione added. "The sword is hidden in the sorting hat, and Professor Dumbledore carried that hat with him in a bag as we retrieved the locket. Once the locket was in our possession, we apparated back to the sea cottage and destroyed it on the beach."
"That bloody hat," Ron muttered. "Thankfully the sword didn't appear when the hat was placed on my head on our first day."
No one laughed at that joke. Draco thought back to the Chamber of Secrets and what Dumbledore told him about that. He looked to Harry. "You used that sword to kill the basilisk. That's how it was able to destroy the horcrux—it absorbed the beast's venom."
"Precisely," said Dumbledore before Harry could respond. "And it was that venom that destroyed the diary, the locket, and Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem that Draco retrieved and destroyed."
"Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem?" asked Hermione with wide eyes. "That beautiful, priceless heirloom was made into a horcrux?"
Again, no surprise here that Hermione knows of the object. She has always loved her research through the years. Dumbledore said, "Yes, it was. Draco, do tell the story."
Draco shifted in his seat as all eyes were all on him, and he felt a bit of heat on the back of his neck. "Well, yes, it belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw, but after her death, her daughter Helena stole it from her so she could use the power it supposedly had to make one wiser when wearing it. Helena wanted to gain the recognition that her mother received since she was jealous of her and was bitter towards her. The item became a burden, even far after Helen's death, so when a certain young man came asking after it, saying he could destroy it, she told him where to find it."
"It was Tom Riddle," Harry said without question. "Tom Riddle asked her for it and made it into a horcrux."
"Yes," said Draco. "This saddened Helena immensely, and has for the past several decades. When I came around asking for it, saying I could destroy it for good, she told me where it was hidden. It was in the Room of Requirement, hidden deep in the clutter. I presume Tom Riddle hid it there sometime after his Hogwarts career."
"What a perfect place to hide something," Hermione said. "The enchantment will not allow a person so see it unless they are looking for it."
Draco recalled seeing it before, before he was asked to destroy it. Did the room sense that he wanted to be out of the Dark Lord's clutches by showing it to him those times, or did it predict the future and saw him looking for it and showed it to him so he could remember where it was? Maybe it was both.
"Good on you," Ron said, and Draco looked at him, not expecting the comment. "For destroying a horcrux, and in a place I never want to step foot in again."
"Yes," Harry agreed. "Good job, Draco."
Hermione squeezed his hand and gave him a smile, telling him that she was proud of him as well. He smirked, honestly liking the praise from the people who thought the lowest of him before. He wanted the recognition, yes, but he didn't expect to get it from these three. Well, two—Harry and Ron, since Hermione thought greatly of him already. Maybe Harry and Ron are warming up to him now, now that he is essentially on their side.
"So, that is five horcruxes destroyed, including that ring you told us about, Headmaster," Ron said. "Two more horcruxes to go."
"Five?" Draco asked, looking at his headmaster and back to them, confused, and also impressed. "You lot destroyed another?"
"Yes," Harry said. "I was placed in a cabin deep in the woods in a location I am still unsure of. I was in that cabin for five days before Professor Dumbledore and Hermione appeared at the door and told me they found and destroyed a horcrux—Salazar Slytherin's locket. We three sat and talked about what I have been studying for the past days: diary entries of Helga Hufflepuff that were kept in the headmaster's office for centuries, and letters written by her descendants throughout the years. They spoke of a cup that Helga created and was very dear to her. I connected these letters to one written by Hepzibah Smith, a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff. She recounted meeting Tom Riddle in 1946 and had showed him the cup as well as Salazar Slytherin's locket. When I spoke to Hermione and Professor Dumbledore about what I have found, and after they told me they destroyed that very locket that was a horcrux, we all concluded that the cup was a horcrux as well, since another letter written from a relative stated that their family heirloom went missing, along with the locket that was passed down through the generations as well."
"That Tom Riddle had an affinity for old keepsakes, didn't he?" Ron asked.
"Indeed," Dumbledore said. "Shortly after this visit with Mr. Potter and Miss Granger, we three made a trek through the woods for about a kilometer to the house in which Mr. Weasley was residing."
"Blew me away when they showed up," Ron remarked. "To think that Harry was a kilometer away the whole time. Hermione might have been a few kilometers away at that sea cottage on some lone beach for all we know."
"We discussed what we have discovered and set out to retrieve the cup," Hermione told Draco, and he sat there still and silent as they all told him their stories. This was truly fascinating, finding out how they discovered horcruxes, but one bit of all this was unclear.
"Headmaster," Draco began, "if you gave to them the needed books, papers and letters they needed to find the horcruxes, that means you knew what they were and where they were all along, correct? Why not just go out and get them and destroy them yourself?"
Dumbledore smirked under his beard, and his eye twinkled. "I run a wizarding school, Draco. Do you think I had the time to go out and find all these items and destroy them myself? I studied extensively all these ancient documents over the years, and yes, that is how I came to know exactly what these items are and where they were located. I made a plan to destroy them all in a certain period of time, and succeeded in destroying the ring first. It was pure luck that Harry destroyed that diary before I had a chance to retrieve it from your father and destroy it myself."
Draco gulped, knowing now that his father had a horcrux in his possession for who knows how many years and didn't know it. "So, when we all, including Annabelle, came along and told you about her vision, that's when you made this plan, to have all of us destroy these horcruxes?"
"Indeed. It was the perfect opportunity."
"And what of Annabelle?" Ron asked. "She knew about them, didn't she, and didn't tell us?"
Their headmaster placed his hands on his desk over a book this time, and entwined his fingers together. He gave them a stern, fatherly look, like he was about to reprimand them. "I think you all should know that Miss Ravenclaw never told you about the horcruxes because she never saw them in her vision. Draco, you recall me wanting to speak with her after Miss Granger, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley left, correct? I had asked you to leave so I could do so." Draco nodded, remembering. "Well, I asked her about the horcruxes, and she was surprised to find that they even existed. I told her of my plan for you all and sent her off. What she told you, that she saw you all go into hiding, and she saw Lord Voldemort be defeated, is the truth of it. You recall her not mentioning just how he would be defeated, correct?"
They all nodded, and Draco felt badly for bitterly thinking that Annabelle hid other things from him and the others when she really did tell them the whole truth. "So, you destroyed Helga Hufflepuff's cup?" Draco asked. "Where was it?"
"It was not I, but Mr. Weasley here who destroyed it," Dumbledore said. "Why don't you tell the story, Mr. Weasley?"
"Alright, then," Ron said. "Well, as I said, I was shocked when all of them showed up at the door to this house I was staying at, this ruddy house next to a small lake surrounded by trees. No offense," he added to Dumbledore. "The silence was quite nice, as was the stocked cupboards and comfy bed. Anyway, when I first got there, I was met with a kitchen table full of books and papers, along with a note from Dumbledore stating that he had a task that I needed to fulfill, along with Harry and Hermione."
"I received a similar letter, as did Harry," Hermione said. "It outlined what we were to do, and the importance of it."
"I knew I was in for it," Ron said. "And I tell you again, I never studied so hard in my life. I was shocked that such magic existed, darker than sending someone's spirit off to eternal misery or happiness. I studied the load of books and letters, a lot of them being the same as what Harry studied, but I couldn't make sense of them. I may be good at chess and strategy, but puzzles were never my strong suit. I was about to go mad with it all before the lot of them showed up. We talked about what Hermione and Professor Dumbledore had accomplished, and what Harry figured out. We studied out my share of the paperwork and history books and found that I missed something. It was a letter from Bellatrix Lestrange to her sister... Narcissa Malfoy."
He looked to Draco, but Draco kept his gaze away from him. He hated how his family was entangled with all this, but what is to be expected when your father is a Death Eater and you are as well, and your family has been plagued with darkness for centuries?
"Go on," Dumbledore prodded Ron.
"Right, well, the letter said something about the Dark Lord wanting Bellatrix to protect something, to store it in her vault at Gringotts Bank. She mentioned it was a special Hufflepuff cup that belonged to him, and she was confused was to why the Dark Lord had something from Hufflepuff house in his possession. From what Harry studied, we knew that Gringotts was the place to look, and in Bellatrix's personal vault." He chuckled. "I think Hermione had a grand time impersonating Bellatrix so we could actually get in there."
Draco's eyes widened in shock and he looked over at Hermione, who was grimacing. "You impersonated my crazy aunt? How in the blazes did you do that?"
"The same way Miss Granger and I both got into The Ministry of Magic undetected, Draco," said Dumbledore. "Polyjuice potion. It so happens that the potions classroom storage had a small jar of Bellatrix Lestrange's hair that I had nabbed in the past for this very purpose. Hermione certainly made a better Bellatrix than I would have, that is for sure."
Ron snickered at that, and Draco continued to stare at Hermione. She ingested remnants of his aunt. He's not sure how okay he is about that, considering how crazy that woman is, and how deranged. But all Hermione had to do was act like her. He actually would have liked to see that and get a good laugh.
"Harry and I hid underneath his invisibility cloak when all this was going on, while Dumbledore was outside the bank," Ron said. "On the way to the vault, the cloak fell off and we had to charm the goblin taking us down there. Once we got there, though, all hell broke loose. We had to get passed a bloody dragon that was guarding the vault. We had to charm the beast in order to get in, but that wasn't even the half of it. We got into the vault and found the cup, but as soon as we touched something, that thing multiplied like mad. That happened with anything we touched. And once we actually got the cup, it burned us."
"A protective spell was put on it," Draco surmised. "When I carried around the diadem, I felt my energy deplete almost instantly. A strengthening charm helped, but was weak against it. How did you lot get out of the vault?"
"We nabbed the horcrux and flew out of there using the dragon," said Ron. "We stopped it on the other side of the Black Lake where Professor Dumbledore met up with us and gave me the sword to destroy the cup. And I did. The thing screamed and then shattered. It scared the bloomin' snot outta me when it happened. After, we all apparated on the grounds here. That was not even an hour ago."
Draco nodded to that, thankful to all of them for what they did. He looked to Hermione and saw the dirt—or soot—on her face, probably from that dragon breathing flames and burning everything around it. That would explain the smoke he smelled on her. He noticed that Harry and Ron had soot on them as well. They all looked like they just came out of a burning building, now that he had a good look at them.
"You're alright, though?" he mainly asked Hermione. "You weren't hurt in all that chaos?"
"Thankfully, no," she said. "The bank was destroyed, but we came out fine."
"Harry doesn't think it was the dragon who destroyed most of the bank," Ron said. "He thinks that the Dark Lord knew that we stole his horcrux and came and leveled the place, probably killing everyone in it."
"No doubt," Dumbledore said. "I supposed you, Harry, and you, Draco, both can sense that Lord Voldemort is not happy about this and knows what we have done. We need to be ready for when he comes and fights."
"And when will that be, Sir?" asked Hermione, her eyes weary.
"Any time from now on. Five of his seven horcruxes are destroyed, so he has significantly weakened. We just need to destroy the last two."
"What are they?" asked Ron passionately. "Let's go find them and get rid of them! Do you know where they are, Professor?"
"Indeed I do." His expression saddened and the atmosphere suddenly became very thick and heavy, and Draco could feel it. "There is something that you all should know. While it may be easy for one of those horcruxes to be destroyed, destroying the other may be a tad complicated."
"What are they?"
Dumbledore's gaze went to Draco and his heart jumped. Why did the man look at him? "Draco, do you recall your last visit with Lord Voldemort?"
Draco's hand tightened around Hermione's and she tightened it back assuredly. Draco gulped hard and nodded, not liking the memory one bit. "Yes, Sir. How can I forget? He changed my previous task and gave me a new one. That one being..."
He couldn't finish, and Hermione squeezed his hand again. Dumbledore said, "We all know what that task is, and I can assure you that it will not have to be fulfilled. Now, who was by Lord Voldemort's side as you spoke with him?"
Who was at his side? Is he referring to Nagini? "Are you speaking of his pet anaconda?"
"Precisely."
"Well, she wasn't there last I spoke to him, but..." He recalled when he last saw the snake, when it bit into and killed Professor Burbage right in front of him. He suddenly felt a bit of his last meal come up. That memory will always haunt him. "The last time I had a meeting with him was with my mother and other Death Eaters, and the snake was there. She killed someone right in front of all of us. That event was a great part of the reason why I wanted to stop being such a git."
Both Harry and Ron stared at him with sympathetic expressions, as well as with looks of realization, realization that there was more to the reason why he had a massive character change. Hermione remained silent. She knew about it, after all. "Blymee, Draco..." Ron muttered.
"I'm sorry you had to witness that," said Harry, and then looked at Dumbledore. "The snake... she's a horcrux."
"Yes, she is. She was created after Helga Hufflepuff's cup. One would simply need to cut off her head in order to destroy her."
"Sounds simple enough," Ron said. "What of the other one?"
That thick atmosphere intensified as Dumbledore eyed Harry, and all in the room noticed. Silence remained as everyone stared at Harry, and Draco wondered why they were. Hermione whimpered suddenly, and tears formed in her eyes. "No, it can't be!"
"I applaud you for figuring it out, Miss Granger, and in only a couple of minutes. Would you care to elaborate?"
Draco saw more tears form in her eyes, and then fall. He released her hand put an arm around her shoulders. She trembled. "I realized it a while ago, at least, I suspected it. I... When I was at the sea cottage reading and studying about horcruxes and how they were formed, I could not help but think about Harry and that horrible night that the Dark Lord killed his mother. One needs to murder a person in order to create a horcrux, and the Dark Lord performed the killing curse on Harry, but he survived. I have always wondered why he did, but now, after researching this dark magic..."
She trailed off, and Draco, as well as Harry and Ron, all had thoughtful expressions on their faces, thinking through this. Hermione isn't saying what he thinks that she's saying... His heart started to pound in shock of realizing it, that he's been, all along, going to school with a piece of dark magic. Well, a person that has dark magic in him.
"You're barking, Hermione!" Ron shouted at her. "You think Harry is a horcrux? That's mad!"
"But not unreasonable," Dumbledore added, and the four teens stared at him with wide eyes. "I am afraid that Hermione's conclusions are correct. That horrible night, when Lord Voldemort killed Lily Potter, the horcrux spell latched onto the only other one living thing in the room, and that was Harry. It was unintentional, and I believe that Lord Voldemort may still be unaware that he created a horcrux. He may believe that his snake is the only other one left." He looked to Harry. "Harry, you recall visions you have had in the night about Lord Voldemort, and sometimes feel like you have his thoughts? And the way you felt after each horcrux was destroyed?"
Harry noticeably looked shaken and about to burst into tears himself. "Yes. Is that why?"
"Yes. He and you are connected in that way. He can get into your thoughts and you can get into his. That is why I made it clear that no one knew where I sent the three of you. Yes, Lord Voldemort can sense Draco's feelings and can gather what is going on through him, but he can more so with you, Harry. It is because a part of him is in you."
Ron had tears in his eyes now and tears continued to fall from Hermione's. Even Draco felt his throat constrict at this news, knowing what needs to happen to Hermione and Ron's best friend, and to the person who Draco started to greatly admire.
"But, horcruxes need to be destroyed in order to defeat the Dark Lord!" Ron argued. "Are you asking one of us to perform the killing curse on our best friend?!"
Dumbledore remained calm, despite the furious redheaded teen in front of him. "No, I will not ask that of any of you." He eyed Harry. "Harry, you are the only person who survived the killing curse, which has made Lord Voldemort very angry. You have felt that before, have you not?"
"I have, Sir," Harry said, and he paused for a moment, his features grim. "You want him to perform the Death Curse on me."
There was no question in Harry's voice. Dumbledore said, "Yes. We will give him the satisfaction of thinking that he killed you, and once that happens, one of you two will cut off the head of Nagini with the Sword of Gryffindor." He pointed to Ron and Hermione. "No offense, Draco, since you're in Slytherin."
"That's fine," Draco said. "I have already destroyed one horcrux. That's enough for me."
"Hold on," Ron butted in. "The killing curse won't actually kill Harry, will it, since he survived it the last time?"
Dumbledore nodded. "I believe that since the horcrux was created by using the killing curse, it can be taken away using it as well. The killing curse will kill the soul remnant, not the house that's it in. Living horcruxes are different in that way than inanimate objects."
"Wouldn't Harry be put into limbo, then, like the part of the Dark Lord's soul that is permanently damaged, the part of him that cannot pass on due to creating so many horcruxes?" asked Hermione, and wiped her eyes. "I remember reading about that in that book about dark spells. It is the fate of one who creates horcruxes—a part of them will be caught in limbo for eternity, not able to move on, even if all the horcruxes are destroyed and the maker is dead themselves."
"That is correct," Dumbledore said. "And since Harry is a horcrux and not the creator of one, he will be able to escape it after the killing curse hits him."
"And you know this for sure?" Ron asked in a pleading tone.
"About eighty percent. I do not fully understand the nature of horcruxes, but I understand them enough to know that Harry can survive and the horcrux in him can die, just as long as he chooses to leave limbo, that is."
They all remained silent, and Draco had to sit back and let all this information swirl through his noggin. Basically, Harry and Nagini are the only horcruxes left, and the Dark Lord needs to perform the killing curse on Harry to destroy the horcrux in him, and Hermione or Ron simply needs to cut off the head of Nagini with the Sword of Gryffindor. She's a snake, so she may not be intelligent enough to escape limbo. She'll just die. Then that's the end of the Dark Lord after Dumbledore finishes him off.
"So, when he arrives, you will be there to greet him?" Hermione asked. "We will be in the shadows waiting to kill Nagaini?"
"Yes," answered Dumbledore. "I will ask that Harry come with me and greet the Dark Lord on his own, and myself, as well as Mr. Weasley or Miss Granger will be there to strike Nagini when the time is right."
"You do it, Hermione," Ron said. "I don't want to be near the Dark Lord."
"You think I want that as well?" she quipped.
"I think Ron should do it," Draco said grimly and all looked at him, Ron with wild eyes. "The Dark Lord commanded me to kill her, so what would he do to her when he sees that she's still alive and I have done nothing?"
Ron pursed his lips, knowing that he has no other choice. Dumbledore said, "That is fair point. So, Harry will meet him, and Mr. Weasley and I will be on the sidelines. Once Harry his down, Mr. Weasley will kill Nagini and I will perform the last spell on Lord Voldemort to kill him once and for all. And Harry, remember, do not stay in limbo. Decide to come straight out, not matter what."
"I wouldn't dream of staying there, Sir."
"Very good. Now that this plan is set into action, I will let you all retire to your common rooms to get cleaned up, and to get some rest. No doubt you all have not gotten a decent night's sleep in the past week." He made a shooing gesture. "Off you all go now. Pip pip."
They all got up and exited the office, with a final goodbye to their headmaster. Once out in the corridor, Ron let out a massive breath. "Golly, what a week we all have been through, huh? And it's not over yet."
"No, not yet," Hermione said and her eyes saddened. She clung to Harry's arm, and even though Draco knew that she sees Harry as a brother, he still felt jealousy prick his chest. "Harry, just promise me that you will get out of limbo, okay?"
"Yeah, you have to, Harry," Ron exclaimed.
"I will. It's going to be something different, that's for sure."
Draco stepped away as Hermione and Ron hugged Harry. Jealousy pricked Draco's again, but not for the same reason as before. He's never had friends like that, as close as these three. He had Crabbe and Goyle, and they were friends in a way, but he didn't see them as brothers. He saw Pansy as a sister, though, but he was never really close to her. There was Annabelle as well, and while she's a good friend, he needs human friends.
The three friends stepped away from one another and Hermione wiped her eyes. Draco put an arm around her and she smiled and took hold of his hand on her shoulder. He loved that.
"Well, Harry and I are going to head back to the common room," Ron said. "You coming, Hermione?"
She squeezed Draco's hand. "No, you two go on. I want to talk to Draco for a few minutes. I'll see you two there shortly."
The guys nodded and walked off. People greeted them as they passed, and said hello to Hermione when they passed her and Draco as well. She took Draco's hand, taking his arm off her shoulders, and started pulling him down the corridor. He kept up with her as they moved quickly.
"Hermione, what are you doing?" She remained silent and he saw fresh tears in her eyes. "Hermione?"
"Just... hold on. I want to talk somewhere private."
Her voice laced with emotion, and Draco's heart hurt a little at hearing it. They walked on, and he let Hermione lead. They walked out of the castle into the cool overcast weather, down some steps, and to those massive rocks, the ones overlooking Hagrid's hut. Once they reached the rocks, Hermione turned and flung her arms around Draco's torso and snuggled her face into his chest. Her body convulsed as small whimpers escaped her. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her.
"I'm scared..." she said into his chest and whimpered again. "When I found out what I had to do when Dumbledore sent me away, all of this became so real, more real than I realized before. And when we were talking with Dumbledore just now... He's really coming. The Dark Lord is really coming, and Ron and Harry are going to he there. And Harry's going to die!"
"He's going to come back, Hermione. That was already discussed."
"But what if he doesn't come back?! What if something goes wrong? I read about limbo, and there could be things that keep him there, enticing him, and..." She whimpered again, and her body shook. "He's my best friend."
He tightened his hold on her and dug his face into her bushy hair, smelling the lilacs. "It's going to be fine. If you'd like, we can be a ways off watching as this all goes on. I can be with you."
She nodded. "I would like that, but I think that the Dark Lord may call you when he comes, and you'll be there witnessing everything. I just wonder when he's going to show up."
He hadn't thought about that. He will most likely be called since he's a Death Eater, and the Dark Lord loves to have his followers around him whenever something large happens. Annabelle had said that they will have to face the Dark Lord... he was apart of that prediction. "I can feel that it's going to be soon. I think the Dark Lord knows what's going on because both me and Harry are connected to him. Just know that it'll all be over soon."
"Maybe that part of the war will be over, but then we have to face the next one. We still have to face your parents."
She doesn't know about what happened in Azkaban. "Hermione... my father knows about us."
She loosened her hold on him and looked up at his blue eyes, her hazel eyes bloodshot, teary, and wide in surprise. "He does?" A looked of realization hit her face. "Oh, you saw him in Azkaban!"
"I was in the cell right next to his, as a matter of fact. He knew about me saving you since my mother wrote him, but she never mentioned how close I am to you. I told him, and... he wasn't pleased."
She nodded. "We were both expecting that. I'm just concerned as to what exactly happens. We'll be hurt emotionally, as Annabelle said. I wish she was back, too, so we could talk to her about it."
He turned her and gently pressed her against the massive stone. He leaned in and said near her mouth in a whisper, "Let's not worry about all that at this exact moment alright? There's something I've been wanting to do for a week."
Without him giving her a chance to respond, he leaned in and started kissing her soft, warm lips, and he didn't hold back. She gasped through her nose as he leaned more into her and she responded. Her arms wrapped around his back and she didn't hold back anything, either. He felt sweat form on the back of his neck as her mouth opened and he touched her front teeth with his tongue.
Draco didn't want to stop this, so he kept on going, but Hermione broke away and giggled. "What?" Draco asked, a smile forming.
"It's just, this is where I punched you in the nose our third year. How far we have come since then."
"Indeed. And I have to add, that really hurt."
"I know, you've told me before. I'm sorry."
They remained there, close, and Draco leaned in, but didn't touch her mouth. "I love you, Hermione."
"I love you, too."
He smiled at that, liking that they could say that to each other. "I promise, everything will be alright."
She nodded. "I know. I trust Annabelle."
"As do I. Harry will be okay, too."
She nodded again, and he hoped that she believed that, given her fears of something going wrong. The bell gonged. "I think we should get back inside. I have to get cleaned up and go to my teachers and request the work that I missed."
"But I thought Dumbledore sent you all your homework."
"He didn't send any of it. It's only fair that I do it."
"Want to get yourself back above my name on the honor's list?"
She gasped and smacked his arm. He laughed. "I'm not on about that anymore, Draco!"
"Aren't you?"
"Let's head back up."
She left him in a cute little huff and he caught up with her. He let out a bit of laughter again as he took her hand and they walked on into the castle. He walked her back to her common room, and he we went on to his next class. He, as usual, walked with his hands in his pockets.
This is really going to happen, and soon. The Dark Lord will show up, his last two horcruxes will be destroyed, and there will be peace. Annabelle was right in saying that the wizarding world will change. He thought it just meant that it will change due to a pureblood and a muggle-born being in a relationship. It already changed in that way—changing the status quo—but it will also change in that there will be no more dark, evil wizard to plague the world.
How wonderful that sounds.