When she was sure that all the girls in her dormitory were fast asleep, Hermione slipped out of bed and put on her Hogwarts robes over her nightdress. Then she tiptoed her way out, across the landing to the boys' dormitories. Having had to meet Harry and Ron countless times in secret to plan for their missions each year, she was always kept informed of the password to their dormitory. Now, she thought sadly, she was doing this without them. And it hurt her.
Stealing past the loud snores and occasional heavy flips on the beds, Hermione crouched by Harry's bed and clicked open his suitcase with the right combination. She felt him stir a little, then flop back on his stomach. Trying to control her heavy breathing, she sneaked out the beautiful shimmering cloth that lay right at the bottom. Harry had given them the password to retrieve his Invisibility Cloak just in case anything happened, bless him for being so trusting. Still, she felt like she was betraying his trust as she stole out of the room with the cloak secured around her. You're doing this for him! Her mind reminded her fiercely.
As she made her way along the corridor, she hoped that Draco had gotten her message. The owl she had picked from the Owlery (Hedwig had been fast asleep and refused to budge) seemed a little disoriented and she hoped it hadn't gone crashing into some windows before sending the letter to Draco, if it did at all.
When she turned the corner, she saw, right at the top of the staircase leading downwards to the Slytherin dungeons, was the familiar figure with his stylish mop of silver-blond hair. He looked impatient, looking around swiftly in all directions.
When she was right in front of him, she divested herself of the Cloak, and Draco was completely startled out of his wits to see her appear out of the blue.
"How did you do that?" he demanded, retreating a few steps as if he had seen a ghost.
Hermione held up the Invisibility Cloak. "I swear if you let Harry know I took this from him for you, you're going to suffer a fate worse than... worse than..." She flushed red trying to think of an alternative.
"Is that an Invisibility Cloak?" His voice was now in awe.
Hermione sighed. "Yes. Now are we ready?"
"I can fit in there with you?" It now held disgust.
"Well if you can't stand being beside a M... a Muggle-born, I suggest you go back down and continue your beauty sleep!" Hermione's voice was scathing.
Draco rolled his eyes and allowed her to drape the Cloak over him. He was now quite aware that her arm was against his, and the familiar scent of strawberry wafted up to his nose again, as they made their way towards Dumbledore's office.
"So how did you get the password?" asked Draco, casually, trying to hold his breath, but failed and ended up drinking in another huge scent of strawberry.
Hermione refused to answer him, trudging on. It was bad enough to lie to Harry; she didn't want to repeat what emotional blackmailing she had to resort to in order to help this twisted, dangerous, manipulative jerk. Yes, you're a jerk! Her anger towards him was snowballing. First she had to keep her friends off the track she was on to ensure things didn't go out of hand, next he was getting all disgusted about being under the same Cloak as her, and now he was trying to provoke her. Whether it was intentional or not, Hermione didn't care. All she cared was to hurry up and get things over with, so that eventually they would come to the right time when she could tell Harry about what was going on.
And what would Draco Malfoy say to that?
She was inwardly startled when the thought came, but somehow Draco's breathing distracted her, and she tried not to think of him as they walked awkwardly towards the office. His arm was brushing against hers, and it was completely agonising trying to shift away her focus from the contact.
Draco knew better than to press on, sensing a huge ball of heat that was radiating from her. Clearly, she had gone to some lengths to getting it, and he ought to show some kind of appreciation for her efforts. But he inwardly snorted. Unless she was really that altruistic, why should he give a damn about what she had jumped into? He hadn't coerced her or anything.
Feeling rather disturbed by that thought, he was shaken out of it when Hermione stopped, and he realised they were right in front of the Headmaster's office.
"He's not in?" asked Draco, tentatively, knowing fully well that he couldn't choose this moment to spark off a fuse in Hermione and let her take flight, leaving him to deal with this alone.
Even though he should be dealing with this alone.
"You should hope he is in," replied Hermione, and she was about to say the password when Draco jerked her back roughly, his eyes wide with horror.
"What do you mean I should hope he is in? Granger, what are you talking about? Are you planning to tell that old man what I've told you? You can dream on!"
He was clearly very outraged by the idea, but Hermione shook her head. "You can't approach Fawkes without him there. Harry has been in there many times when Dumbledore left the room to him alone, and Fawkes is never found to be there. Don't ask me why."
"That's ridiculous!" Draco couldn't control his rage, swinging Hermione to face him with his hands gripping her shoulders, startling her so much that she nearly slackened her hold on the Invisibility Cloak. "I'm not having Dumbledore know anything about me! It was a mistake trusting you!" And he reached out to grab the Cloak off him.
"Malfoy, don't be stupid!" cried Hermione, desperately pulling his arm back. "I told you, you can't find any other phoenixes around other than Fawkes!" She had to bite her tongue in order to prevent herself from revealing that Fawkes was the communication channel between Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. The less Draco knew about the Order, the better.
"And what is Dumbledore going to do?" demanded Draco, seething with rage. "Let a Death Eater go near his beloved pet? Let a Death Eater get close to him, one whose mission is to kill him?"
Hermione paled at that thought. She had forgotten that Draco's first mission was to kill Dumbledore. She was risking Dumbledore's life by leading Draco within close proximity! How could she have forgotten! She had been thinking about the Order, and yet she had completely forgotten about this.
"Oh my..." she whispered, and suddenly her legs gave way and she sank to the ground, pulling an angry Draco along with her, the Cloak falling off them. Luckily, there was no one in the hallway in the dead of the night, but Hermione was past caring.
She had nearly endangered her Headmaster's life. The man whom she, Harry, and Ron respected the most.
"I suppose you forgot." Draco's cold voice cut through her thoughts, his hand ruthlessly brushing her grip off his robes.
Hermione didn't say anything; she just sat there staring at the floor. What could she say?
"Look, forget it," Draco snarled. "We're already out. We might as well get in."
"I can't let you!" Hermione gasped, her voice echoing down the hallway, and Draco immediately pressed his hand to her mouth, his eyes glittering angrily. She instinctively shook his hand away and glared at him piercingly. "I'm not letting you near Dumbledore!"
"I thought you said I wasn't a murderer," said Draco, sneeringly.
Hermione shivered. "But... surely you need to do something to earn some credit with Voldemort, or else he wouldn't let you off so easily."
"I'm not waiting anymore!" hissed Draco, reaching out to grab her arm again. "So what if we wait longer? You're going to find me another phoenix?"
"I'm not your minion!" Hermione cried, as she tried to wrestle her arm out of Draco's strong grip.
"You promised to help!" He was getting angry not so much out of rage but out of desperation and frustration.
"Let go of me!"
"Hermione Granger!"
She stopped struggling and gaped at him.
Draco was heaving madly and looking at her with an indescribable expression on his face.
"What did you..."
Suddenly the floor was vibrating and there was a loud movement, startling Hermione and Draco out of their wits and instinctively turning to their side to see the gargoyle in front of Dumbledore's office vibrate and shift. Hermione clutched at the Cloak; Draco let go of her and stared open-mouthed at the transformation of the original stone wall – it turned along with the gargoyle, revealing a spiral staircase behind it, and standing on the spiral staircase was Professor Albus Dumbledore himself.
"Professor... " Hermione could only stare at him weakly.
Draco shut his mouth, but he, too, stared.
"Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy," said Dumbledore, pleasantly, as if he were wishing them a pleasant good morning. "Please."
He gestured towards the entrance to his office, smiled at them, and then with a flourish, gathered his robes and disappeared through the doors.
Draco looked back at the Cloak on the floor, then he looked back up at the staircase.
Hermione gripped the Cloak, her face completely drained of colour.
Finally, she turned to look at Draco, who was picking himself up to go in. She reached out and grabbed him, sending him a pleading look.
"Don't..." She rasped. "...Draco."
He jerked involuntarily at the use of his first name. Looking back at her, she was clearly frightened, desperate, and helpless all at once. She couldn't do anything to stop him now.
He shook off her hand and strode towards the spiral staircase. Hermione stared after him, fear mounting in her heart. What have I done?
There was no Harry, no Ron to stand by her. It was her, alone. Alone, because Draco Malfoy would march forward and shout "Avada Kedavra!" at Dumbledore any moment. Surely – surely, Dumbledore could counter the magic of a sixth-year, even if he was a Death Eater? After all, Draco was only newly inducted...
Those thoughts were swirling in Hermione's mind as she clutched the Cloak and awkwardly made her way into Dumbledore's office. She had been inside many times. But none of those times felt as cold, painful, terrifying, as this visit was.
Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, a thoughtful look plastered on his face as he eyed the blond-haired boy in front of him. Hermione walked up to stand beside Draco, who had an impassive countenance once again. All his emotions thrown back into the depths of his heart, the back of his mind.
"So," said the Headmaster, in a hearty voice that was rather jarring considering that both Draco and Hermione were on tenterhooks. "May I know what the two of you were doing outside my office in the middle of the night?" His sharp eyes caught the silvery material in Hermione's grip. "And is that Mr Potter's Cloak, Miss Granger?"
Hermione flushed a deep red, while Draco pursed up his lips. So even Dumbledore knew that Potter had such a precious item. Perhaps it was Dumbledore himself who bestowed this gift. Feeling resentful and revengeful all at once, his eyes remained fixed on the crinkled face of Dumbledore. He could feel the wand in his robe pocket. All he had to do was to reach in and pull it out, shout the incantations whilst pointing its tip ahead, in a matter of milliseconds, it would all be over...
"We're looking for Fawkes," said Draco, calmly. Hermione was startled, and nearly lost balance, her eyes now staring at Draco in amazement.
"Fawkes?" Dumbledore leaned back and rolled his eyes to the side to cast a glance at the brilliantly orange-red phoenix that suddenly seemed to glow from the shadows on its perch. "Why would you want to see Fawkes?"
Draco felt the calmness seep away from him; he clenched his teeth. "Angels of fire no water could soothe."
The Headmaster raised his eyebrows. Then the smile came back. "Mr Malfoy, you are a very good Occlumens."
Draco instinctively bared his teeth furiously. "Don't try to be funny, Dumbledore!"
"Draco!" Hermione had found her voice as Draco's hand twitched. His entire body flinched once again upon hearing his name from her.
"Mr Malfoy, while you're still in the grounds of my school, I hope that you will display some basic form of courtesy." But when Dumbledore said that firmly, his eyes were twinkling. "And I can assure you that if your anger tips the scales, it is an unwise decision to whip out your wand at me." His gaze travelled to Draco's hand, which was poised to reach within his robes. Draco snarled, and whipped his hand back to his side, his eyes not meeting Dumbledore's. Hermione let out a breath of relief.
"It is a dangerous move you are embarking on, Mr Malfoy," said Dumbledore, his voice suddenly turning grave, and his eyes lost their twinkle as they locked onto the heaving figure of Draco Malfoy, then turned a little gentle as he eyed a trembling Hermione Granger. "I know who you are attempting to look for."
Draco's eyes lit up, but he refused to look at Dumbledore.
"How did you know?" gasped Hermione.
"Mr Potter must have told you that I escaped Hogwarts once through Fawkes, Miss Granger," said Dumbledore, kindly, as he stood up and walked round his desk to stand right before them. "Which is why you are here with Mr Malfoy, is that not so?"
Hermione coloured, and looked at her feet.
"You saw him?" Draco's eyes were in slits now.
Dumbledore nodded.
It was as if a fire had ignited within Draco; he took a step forward, his fists clenched.
Dumbledore sighed. "When I had escaped, I had come to a coastal area. The winds were very strong, howling all around me. There were crashing waves at the side, and I had to leap away to avoid the currents from sweeping inwards and carrying me away. No amount of magic could possibly counter the strength of the tides and winds, and I was feeling very fatigued just walking a few steps when I saw a cave before me."
"Before you carry on, Professor," Hermione gathered up her courage to interrupt. "How did you know you could escape through Fawkes?"
Dumbledore smiled, a little wearily. "I had met Fawkes as a wild phoenix during one of my youth escapades with a friend." The mention of the 'friend' had him sigh a little. "That very friend told me that phoenixes are loyal and can be counted upon in times of need. You could call it instinct, Miss Granger, I frankly have no clue. I was just somehow sure that Fawkes could help me when I needed him to. I always thought I had an affinity with phoenixes," he chuckled. "Given that my Patronus is one."
It was Draco's turn to raise his eyebrows. "So it acts like a Portkey?"
Dumbledore merely looked thoughtfully at Draco. "Perhaps when you wish it to be."
"To carry on," continued Dumbledore. "I was curious as to what was in this cave, so I walked in. Within the cave, there was nobody, nothing. I moved my hands along the rocks, hoping to find some clues around. As I did, I scratched my hand on a jutting edge, and then when the blood flowed out, the rock suddenly responded and started to shift."
Hermione and Draco were holding their breath.
"It led to an opening where there was a stone staircase leading downwards. The further I ventured, the greater the heat. I discovered at the end of the staircase was a huge inferno, a pool of hot, molten lava with fire twisters spurting out every now and then. So I conjured up a rock so that I could stand on it and sail on the lava. When I eventually managed to navigate through the smoke and fire, I saw a very haggard man in the centre, being harassed by many spirits, which I believe to be reanimated corpses, as he tried to cast spell after spell of fire against them."
"The Inferi," Draco whispered, stunned, prompting Hermione to gasp.
"Yes, you are right, Mr Malfoy." Dumbledore closed his eyes. "And they were controlled by You-Know-Who."
Draco hadn't been surprised; he had heard of the Dark Lord using Inferi before to hunt down people. He hadn't seen any of them before, but he wasn't sure whether he'd really like to. Snape had once told him the Inferi were extremely difficult to deal with using magic. Hermione, on the other hand, had only read about Inferi in books, and hadn't truly believed that they really existed. The revelation thoroughly scared her, although she tried to look undaunted as Dumbledore continued.
"But even as he did, the spirits seemed to converge on him time and again. But the man did not stay for long; within seconds of noticing me, he had disappeared behind the flames and mist."
Draco knew who that man was. But what he didn't understand was – if Maldash Wentervale was clearly hounding after that very secret the Dark Lord was keeping, how did the Dark Lord not know his whereabouts? Unless – Draco's eyes widened.
The Dark Lord knows! He knows where Wentervale is! Is he that beholdened to that rat that he can't kill him personally? Must he send each and every one of his loyal followers to find him and then lead them to their deaths as well? The more Draco thought about it, the more he boiled. And then he will find out that I've come to look for Wentervale! Draco's heart almost stopped. Or was he expecting this all along?
"Then what did you do, Professor?" Hermione's voice was faint in the background. She had also guessed that the man Dumbledore was referring to had been Maldash Wentervale.
"The Inferi were too many in numbers. I'm afraid that I was unprepared for them and decided it unwise to tackle them. Thus I left," said Dumbledore gravely. "They did not pursue me, and I doubt He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was aware I came, because the Inferi are only protectors – they do not carry messages. As far as I can see, I believe the Inferi were guarding what he must be hiding."
He paused, before continuing. "I am sure that he knows the other intruder came however, since the Inferi had converged upon him. As I did not interfere with their advances... as it is, my sources seem to convey that he knows nothing of my presence there."
He then turned a surprisingly fierce gaze on the two students. "If I may say, even if that's the case, I don't believe either of you are prepared to face the Inferi either. Mr Malfoy, I understand your haste in finding the man I have mentioned; I, too, am quite eager to meet him in person after all his fame. But he remains elusive, and the Inferi are too strong for your current capabilities. Furthermore, there is always a chance that You-Know-Who may be alerted to your presence, and if you are there for no reason of his, I can assure you very serious consequences."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" exploded Draco, who was outraged that Dumbledore was telling him what to do as a Death-Eater. "Sit here and tap my toes?"
Dumbledore looked at him calmly. "Before you approach Fawkes, I want you to do something."
"Oh, so now we're your minions?" Draco snorted furiously.
"I am not a good Legilimens," said Dumbledore, apologetically. "I do not know what your father has told you. But I believe that you have heard of the 'secrets' You-Know-Who entrusts to his followers. It is possibly part of the reason why you are seeking the man, is it not?"
"You know a lot about us, don't you?" Draco barked harshly, swinging himself away from Dumbledore.
"Will you believe me if I said I have a good guess what these secrets are supposed to be?"
Before Draco could respond in amazement, Hermione cut in. "Are there seven in total?"
It was Dumbledore's turn to look surprised. "How did you know exactly how many there are, Miss Granger?"
Two, two, and three strides.
"What are they?"
Dumbledore looked thoughtfully at her, then he shook his head. "I'm afraid that I cannot give my word upon what they are. You must help me in finding it out. Which is why I'd like the two of you to do something before I allow you upon Fawkes."
"What do you mean?" demanded Draco, his eyes gleaming.
"I believe that Professor Horace Slughorn has a memory which may be of use, and may help us understand more to what these secrets are. Please find a way to ask him to lend me a memory about 'Horcruxes', although I'm quite sure a blatant question would not yield the secret."
"Horcruxes?" Neither Draco nor Hermione had heard of that word.
"It is a very Dark Magic, but I know little about it, even with the book that I have confiscated from the library because the content is too explicit and too risky. But Professor Slughorn has a very good knowledge of it, which unfortunately, he keeps very close to heart."
"How are we supposed to get it out of him if you can't?" Draco shot Dumbledore a bewildered look.
"That is why I am asking you and Miss Granger, both top students of your level, to help me think of a way." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled once again, infuriating Draco. "There are some things at which my students may be better than me. Once you have obtained the information..." He paused. "I may consider taking the two of you along to settle the Inferi. I will not be at ease if I allowed you to go on the mission alone, Mr Malfoy. I will take every precaution possible to make sure You-Know-Who will not be aware of your presence."
Draco was dumbstruck. From having to deal with this personal mission alone, he was going to get his nemesis' best friend – a Mudblood, and the man he was supposed to kill, along with him? This was getting more and more ludicrous. But Draco knew that he was no match for Dumbledore at this moment. If he really wanted to gain that notch of credibility in the Dark Lord's eyes, he couldn't be so impulsive. The fact that Dumbledore was aiding him in his mission was unnerving, let alone the fact that Dumbledore seemed to be aware of what he was doing.
Is this a ploy to make me weasel out of killing him?
He stifled a snort, and then made to walk out. His gaze landed on Hermione, but the bushy-haired girl shook her mass of curls, and he growled before striding out of the office.
Hermione looked at Dumbledore, whose look softened. "Yes, Hermione, you have questions?"
"Why – why should I go along?"
"Is this a question directed at me? Or are you seeking reassurance for your decision, Hermione?" Dumbledore gave her a thoughtful look. Embarrassed, Hermione looked to her feet again.
"I – I don't know."
"You are afraid," Dumbledore sighed once again. "You are afraid that choosing to help a Death Eater, what more Harry's arch rival in school, is a betrayal to your friends. I am well aware of what Harry wants you to do, Hermione, and I am quite sure that what you are doing now is well within the lines of your mission."
"But I haven't told Harry anything!" Hermione felt helpless admitting that.
"Time will tell." Dumbledore nodded his head. "As far as Draco is concerned, I am quite certain that he will be unable to accomplish what he wants alone. It is amazing how you have managed to convince him to allow you on this personal vendetta of his." He chuckled. "A great step towards inter-house unity, I must say."
Hermione cringed. Did Dumbledore know Draco Malfoy had to kill him? But how could Draco ever stand a chance against Dumbledore?
Draco? She realised she had taken to referring to him by his first name.
"Any further questions, Miss Granger?" His eyes twinkled.
"How did you know that there are seven secrets in total?" After all, Dumbledore had never seen the parchment Lucius Malfoy had written, thought Hermione.
The Headmaster's smile did not leave his face. "You are sharp, Hermione, I should be asking you this question." He cocked his eyebrow at her, but got nothing in return. Sighing, he continued, "But I am afraid that those are my personal means of obtaining information, and therefore am obliged not to divulge them. Although I must commend you both for deciphering whatever line that Draco was uttering just now... something about angels with no fire, I believe? I assure you that I have no idea how he got that line though."
Hermione frowned, then she bit her lip.
"Then, how did you know that Dra- Malfoy has this 'personal vendetta'?"
Dumbledore walked back to his armchair. "There is a reason why I let him come back to school despite knowing that he would become a Death Eater within days of starting his sixth year at school."
"And that is?"
"It's the same reason as you, Hermione. I believe in him."
Something inside Hermione churned, and she couldn't stand there any longer looking at the smiling Albus Dumbledore, almost oblivious to the danger that shrouded him. Instinctively, she turned around and darted out of the office.
Dumbledore stared after her, then he leant back in his chair, eyebrows furrowed together, the smile on his face vanished.
"Dark times, these are..." he mused.