Chapter 16
Hermione felt like there was a dark cloud over her head for the last few weeks. Between Ron and Lavender all but shagging every chance they got, Harry spouting his theories about Malfoy, and general life stresses, she was exhausted. It most certainly did not help that she was still upset about the fact that Draco Malfoy was avoiding her at all costs. He barely looked at her in classes anymore, and would arrive just before class started, bolting right after class finished.
He refused to even look at her during meals, and when he passed her in the halls, he had a way of seeing right through her, as if she did not exist.
She wasn't sure why it bothered her so much, but it did. It upset her significantly to know that Malfoy wanted nothing to do with her. That maybe he didn't need her to care about him. And why would he? She was no one to him. She was not his friend, nor was she his family. Why would he want her to be so concerned over him? Hell, why was she so concerned about him? Why did it hurt her so that he seemed to care nothing about her?
She sighed to herself as she walked down the halls, holding a few books in her hand with more shoved in her bag. Even if Malfoy wasn't joining her for their study sessions any longer, it didn't mean that she still did not need to keep up. She still needed to ensure she was caught up in all her classes after all. It would do her absolutely no good to forget herself and spend all her time worrying about someone who clearly wanted nothing to do with her.
Her breath staggered as she spotted none other than Malfoy walk into the boy's bathroom. But that wasn't what startled her. In the brief seconds it took for the door to close, she heard a female's voice come out of the room. And it was a female voice she knew all too well: Moaning Myrtle.
Her brows furrowed. What was Malfoy doing talking to Myrtle about? Sure the girl could be a bit of a peeping tom at times, but there was no sound of squealing or of a spell to kick her out of the room. It was almost as if Draco was talking to the girl willingly. That he was confiding in her.
Maybe Draco Malfoy would not open up to her, but at least he was opening up to someone.
She wished she could say that was enough for her, and that she would just walk away right then, satisfied with the turn of events. But it wasn't. She was nosy and she was curious. She needed to know just what it was that Malfoy was talking to the girl about.
So quietly, she approached the bathroom, and ensured that no one was around to see her enter. She opened the door slightly, and saw Malfoy's back was to her as he stood over the sink, looking upset.
Hermione slowly pushed the door open, slipping in.
"I cannot do it," she heard him say, "I don't want to be that person. I do not want to take after my father. I don't want to go through with it."
Hermione stood behind on of the stalls, wondering what he was talking about. Was he referring to being a Death Eater, to become one if he hadn't already? Or had he been given a task that he did not wish to complete?
"So don't do it, Draco," Myrtle cooed, as she swept over him, basically attempting to swoon in his arms.
"I have to," Draco's hands gripped the sink tighter as he looked at the ghost, "It doesn't matter what I want, Myrtle! He'll kill me if I refuse, or if I fail. He'll hurt her," his voice cracked at the mention of a woman. "It doesn't matter what happens to me; the moment he came for me I knew my life was over. But I cannot let her get hurt for my actions."
Hermione let out a startled breath just then, revealing herself, and Malfoy spun around, wand pointed. She sighed to herself; she had already given up her position, she might as well give up the act of spying now.
"Your mother?" Hermione asked him softly, as she took a step forward, "Is she who you're trying to protect?"
"Shut up, Granger," he snarled, "Why do you have to be so bloody nosy all the damn time. This has absolutely nothing to do with you."
Hermione held her cool, holding the wand that was still hidden in her pocket. It would do her no good to hex him, not when he was standing right in front of her.
"Because I care," she shot back. "Because I don't think you're a Death Eater. Not at heart. You might be marked, but that doesn't make you one of them. Not when you do not truly believe in their cause."
"What would you know," Draco scoffed at her. "I could hex you right here. I could cast spells so dark that they ripped your soul apart. I could kill you, if I really wanted to."
"You could," she said, taking a step forward, until she stood next to him, "You could cast spells that made me wish I were dead, or you could just get rid of me all together if it were what you wanted to do. But you won't."
"And why's that?" he raised a brow at her.
"Because you're smart, Malfoy. Hexing me, in the male's bathroom? It won't take long to trace it back to you. Dumbledore will know you attacked me, and he'll either expel you or he'll ensure you're stuck in detention for the rest of your school career. That would hardly work out well for whatever mission or the other that you have, would it?"
"So I obliviate you," he drawled, wand still pointed at her.
"I'd like to see you try," she said, as she cast a silent disarming spell, taking his wand into her hand. He looked stunned however, when she simply handed it back to him. "I'd hex if you if you try to oblivate me, Malfoy. Do not underestimate me."
He shot her an annoyed look, as he took his wand back.
"What do you want, Granger?" he said, finally. "Do you want to save me? To take pity on me? Or to turn me over to Dumbledore? Do you believe I can be redeemed?"
She shrugged, "I know you can be horrible, Malfoy. You were a bully, a tormentor. You made my life hell for years. But I do not think you're a Death Eater by choice. I don't know what it is that you need to do. I'm offering you a choice. You can keep coming to our study sessions, and at least for a few hours you can escape whatever hell you seem to be in. You don't want me to save you? Fine. But at least know that there is someone here who doesn't want anything from you."
"Why?" he asked her, after a moment of silence. "Why do you care?"
"I don't know," she responded, quietly, as the weight of the situation hit her. What was she doing? Merlin, she had no idea.
She turned quickly then, and ran out of the bathroom, leaving Malfoy baffled behind her. But he made no efforts to stop her as she ran back to the Gryffindor common room, and did not stop until she was safely in her dorm.
"Bloody hell," Draco groaned as he sat in Hermione's office, the two of them putting together case notes for the string of thefts of ingredients as well as the murder of several magical creatures.
It most certainly did not help that in the last little bit, they had received word of several other creatures being slaughtered.
Aside from the obvious reasons of why it was not good for magical creatures to be slaughtered, there were several political reasons as well. The wizarding world had survived for years by having a treaty with magical creatures. That they had free reign over wooded regions. That the wizards would not intervene with their ways, as they would not intervene with wizarding practices, unless upon a mutual agreement, or if one party attempted to endanger the other.
And a stray wizard hunting down several magical species was grounds for intervention. If they continued to hunt creatures without being caught and punished, it could end the Accords formed between the two groups. And neither party would survive if the Accords were to fall, bringing an all-out war between the two factions.
"I know," Hermione said softly, as she leaned close to him. She knew exactly why he was stressed about this case. It was hardly light; someone was attempting to bring someone they cared about back to life, breaking the laws of nature, and endangering them all. How many more people would have to die before the perpetrators were caught? How many more magical beasts would be injured in this quest?
"There's always something," he said softly, "I swear, I thought we were finally reaching a good place of peace after the war. I thought we were finally going to get to a place where some insane wizard did not attempt to break the laws of nature. It makes you wonder if the wizarding world is ever truly safe from Dark Wizards. Before Voldemort there was Grindelwald. Before him there was Herpo the Foul, and there was Morgana. Will we ever be truly free from dark magic?"
"There has to be a balance," Hermione told him softly, "Between the light and dark magic. It does us no good if either side tips the scales. We cannot truly be rid of darkness, but it is nature's way for the light to balance it out."
He nodded at her, "You always were so smart," he said, staring into her eyes, "I've always admired your wisdom, Hermione."
She blushed slightly, looking away.
"Do you regret it?" he asked her blurting out. "Sorry," he said after a moment, "It's just that it's been in the back of my mind for ages, and I need to know. Do you regret our relationship?"
She shook her head, "I regret many things. I regret marrying Ron. I regret messing up the polyjuice potion in second year and turning into a cat. I regret taking so long in third year to confront Sirius that Pettigrew got a way. I regret giving Rita Skeeter so much ammunition against me, before finally reaching an agreement with her. But I do not regret dating you, Draco Malfoy. I knew from the beginning that our relationship then was a tragedy. That it could only end a few ways. I was hurt when you dumped me, but I always knew why you did it, the truth behind your reasoning."
"I regret breaking up with you the way I did," he said softly. "I wanted to approach you after the war, but I had been so hurtful with my words, that I was ashamed. You deserved far better than someone like me; a barely innocent Death Eater with no social standing. I wanted to become someone you could be proud of, even if I had no expectations of you ever wanting me again. I wanted to be a better man than my father, someone my mother would be proud of."
"I've forgiven you, Draco," she told him, as she leaned closer to him. "I forgave you years ago. And I am proud of you, I've been proud of you for years, for who you've become, and who you continue to grow into. You're a fantastic man, who is compassionate and caring, and I-"
She cut herself off, looking slightly unsure of herself, before looking up at Draco. His eyes had darkened slightly, as if he had some sort of indication of what it was that she wanted and he looked up at her.
"I'm tired of Ron believing he has complete control of me. I'm tired of constantly trying to be someone he wanted me to be and forgetting to be myself. I'm tired of pushing my own desires and needs away so I can try and make someone else happy. It's my turn now, Draco. You made me happy back then, and you've made me happy now. I'm tired of holding myself back, and pretending that I do not want you as much as I do."
And with that, she leaned forward, pressing her lips against Draco's. He looked surprised, but he quickly started to move his lips against hers. He slipped one hand around her waist, as he pulled her onto his lap, and used the other hand to cup her face tenderly.
She moved against him as she melted into his kiss, knowing that she was truly happy for the first time in years. She was unsure of the future; she had a pending divorce, and a daughter who needed her, but for the first time things were starting to look up. She would get through everything, and she would do it by not denying what she wanted or who she wanted.
She pulled away from him slightly, wanting to gage his reaction.
"Salazar, I've wanted to do that for years," Draco said, his eyes looking at her with need.
"Perhaps we could try it again," Hermione suggested, "Just to make sure it was as good as the first time."
He grinned at that, pulling her closer until her lips crashed against his once more, and Hermione allowed herself to get thoroughly lost in the moment.
Molly was walking down Diagon Alley after visiting her son in the joke shop. She had been so furious when they had told her all those years ago that they had dropped out of school. That they wanted to pursue a career as pranksters. She had been worried about her Fred and George, and if such a career was even practical. Starting a business required funds, and it required a great deal of skills. And her boys were so young. How could they expect to make a profit right away?
It most certainly would be difficult.
But then she had visited Fred and George's shop and had been blown away by their brilliance. She had received word throughout the years of their various pranks at school, but to see a shop filed with their products and magic was amazing.
And it had broken her heart when Fred had passed. She knew it had been hard for poor George as well, who had lost his twin. She couldn't imagine the pain her son must have felt.
She knew the shop was still doing well after the war, and whenever she went in, it was always filled with so much life and excitement. She was proud of her son, for how he had kept going after the war, and had done so to keep his brother's memory alive.
She sighed to herself. Her son would forever be alive in her heart, and she was coping better with the loss now than she had been years ago.
She heard a young voice crying, and Molly looked up in shock to see a small girl in an alleyway, crying. The poor dear must have lost her parents during her trip to Diagon Alley. She must have been frightened out of her mind!
Molly's heart broke as she walked quickly into the Alley to comfort the girl, "Hello, have you lost your parents?" she asked the girl gently, as she bent down in front of the child who could have been no more than a few years old.
The girl looked up just then, grinning at her. But it was not the grin of a child who seemed hopeful. No, there was something sinister about it. It was a look no five year old should know.
Something was wrong, and Molly tried to reach for her wand. However, it seemed that the child was far quicker than her, and had hers out of her pocket instantly.
"Crucio," the girl said, pointing a wand at Molly, and watched delightedly as Molly fell to the ground in pain, her purchases scattered all over the alleyway.
Molly let out a strangled groan, as she tried to reach for her wand, which had fallen out of her pocket. The girl simply walked closer to her, kicking it away.
"I've wanted to do this for so long," the girl said in a scathing voice, "Bloody hell, these last few years have been torturous. And even if it's using the guise of a young child, I'm thoroughly going to enjoy this."
Molly looked up in fear, as the girl took out a knife, and using a quick spell, Molly was hanging upside down in the air. She felt the blood rush to her head, as she grew dizzy, and her vision began to blur. The girl moved closer.
"Don't worry," she said in a falsely sweet tone, "This will definitely hurt. A lot. I'll make sure of it."
"Why?" Molly managed out as she felt herself quaking in fear. Was she going to die here, in this alleyway with no one even aware of where she was? Would her husband and children have any idea what happened to her? Would they find her body, or would she have mysteriously vanished without a trace?
No, she needed to be strong; she needed to believe that her family would find her, and that she would make it out of this hell alive. She had survived two wars, for Merlin's sake. She would survive this too.
The girl grinned wickedly at her, as if she had any indication of what Molly was fearing, and stepped closer. She used a spell and the knife was at her arm, slicing deeply, as the blood flowed out of her arm, and into a vial just below.
Molly let out a cry, as she struggled to keep her consciousness. The world was getting darker, and she prayed that she would be found soon.