Chapter 20
She sat next to him, so close that their arms were brushing against each other with any given movement. She could feel her breathing staggering slightly, and she mentally scolded herself.
There was so much to do before the winter holidays, and she was letting herself get distracted by feelings, for Merlin's sake! Feelings she was starting to feel for Draco Malfoy, the person whom she was supposed to hate. Someone who her friends would have a field day over if they found out that she was sitting next to him, distracted by him, rather than hexing.
She wondered if he could hear her heart beating as quickly as it was.
She wasn't sure what it was. A few short months ago she had to force him to talk to her about their assignment, let alone come to the library with her.
And it wasn't as if they were close friends. She had no idea what was going on with him, both with why he was sitting with her in the library studying together like it was nothing. She knew a little bit about him, she knew about his friends, and a few childhood anecdotes he had thrown out during their study sessions. She had returned that by telling him a little bit about her childhood and her parents.
He had surprised her, however, not by judging her for her muggle parentage, but by asking her about it.
He had changed, that much was sure.
But when push came to shove, they were still on opposite sides of the war. He was still the son of a Death Eater, and she the best friend of the Chosen One.
She was being ridiculous. Merlin, she had more important things to worry about. Like Slughorn's upcoming party. Like the fact that Ron had his tongue down Lavender's throat. Like how Harry was being targeted by zealous girls who wanted to use his new found fame to share in the spotlight. Like how her parents had no idea what was happening in the world she lived in. How Harry would have to face Voldemort soon enough, and how she prayed that he would survive.
There was no time for her childish, and completely unreasonable feelings. She was Hermione Granger! She was supposed to be logical, to put aside her own personal feelings and focus on the important matters at hand. Not to be sitting here, wanting to kiss Draco Bloody Malfoy. She was acting like a teenage girl, for Godric's sake! And that was absolutely the last thing she needed to be doing, in any scenario. Whatever was going through her head, she needed it gone.
She refused to give in to the completely illogical part of her. Not when there was so much at stake. She needed to be better than that. She needed to put her feelings aside and focus on everything else that was going on. There was a war going on outside the castle walls, for Merlin's sake! She couldn't be sitting next to him, wanting him.
Even if he was undeniably attractive. Even if she wanted him more than she cared to admit. Even if his face scrunched up when he was trying to understand something in the text that didn't completely make sense. Even if he was able to hold conversations with her, and argue back with logical points. Even if no one else had ever made her feel this way, not Viktor, not Ron, not Cormac, or any of the other boys in her life. No one had come close to making her want him as badly as she seemed to want Draco Malfoy. To the point where she couldn't even study without distraction.
"Granger?" she heard his voice call out, and she looked up to see him giving her a concerned look. "Is everything alright? You seem to have gotten lost in your own thoughts. Is something confusing the great Hermione Granger?"
There was a light teasing note to his voice, and she felt her cheeks grow red, as she blinked looking up at him.
"No!" she said hurriedly, "I-that's not it. I was just thinking."
He smiled softly, and her heart began to flutter faster. "Of course you were," he said softly, as he reached forward and brushed aside a strand of hair that was covering her face. He hesitated slightly, as he seemed to realize what he was doing. They were facing each other now, and their faces were close to each other. Her heart beat faster, as she looked up, meeting his eyes.
And before she knew it, his lips were crashing down on hers. She kissed him eagerly, as her hands threaded through his blond hair, pulling him closer to her. She had been kissed before, Ginny had made sure everyone knew about that. But nothing came close to this. None of it was anywhere close to feeling his lips on hers, as her heart literally felt like it was about to burst. Like her feelings that had been bubbling up for a while now, finally seemed to have burst. Like she was finally getting out everything that she had been feeling for a while now.
It struck her, that perhaps she wasn't the only one as affected as she was. That in the entire time she had been going over her own dilemma in her head, that he had been going through one similarly, about wanting her just as badly as she seemed to want him.
She pulled away moments later, looking up at him speechlessly.
"That was-" he said, sounding a bit breathless.
She felt panic begin to spread though her, as the repercussions of what just happened flooded her mind. What had she done?"
"I need to go," she blurted out, as she quickly gathered up her things and ran out of the library.
"Hermione wait!" he called out, "You forgot your transfiguration book!"
But she didn't turn around. Instead she just kept running.
"Where's my mummy?" Rose asked him confused, and Draco felt his heart break for the girl. She had gone through so much, she didn't deserve to worry about her mother being in danger.
She wasn't just the daughter of the woman he loved. She was everything to him. A brilliant little girl who had stolen his heart from the moment he met her. A beautiful little girl, who he cared about, and loved. She might not be his daughter, but he cared about her enough to want to protect her from pain and harm.
She deserved to know that she was loved, and Ron had never done that for her. She deserved so much more than this. And now her mother was in danger, and he had no idea how to save Hermione.
"She's gone for a bit, Love," Harry told her softly, "She loves you so much, Rosie. She'll be back soon, I promise, okay? You're going to be staying with Aunt Ginny and I for a few days, is that okay with you?"
The girl looked unsure as she nodded, as if she knew there was something more at stake. Like she knew that her mother was in trouble. And he wouldn't be surprised. The girl was brilliant; her mother's daughter in every way.
"Okay," she said softly, as she hugged Harry gently. When she pulled away, she slipped her hand in Draco's, and he gave her a reassuring smile.
"Your mum is going to be okay," Draco promised her. And she would be, because he wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything happened to her. Not after everything they had gone though. Not after she had suffered so much in her life.
"Okay," Rose said simply, as she nodded at him, trusting that Draco would do whatever it took to save Hermione.
And he would. He would make whomever took her pay. That much was for sure. He would save Hermione, no matter the cost. And he would be damned if he let anything happen to her.
Narcissa sat at her older sister's table, a cup of tea between her hands, and worry on her face. When she had heard that the woman that Draco had been seeing had been kidnapped, she immediately had a bad feeling spread through her chest.
She might not have met the woman who seemed to hold his son's heart for all these years, but she knew how happy Miss Granger made his son feel. Draco might not have ever told her about the nature of their relationship, but it had showed up plainly on his face when Hermione Granger was brought to their home to be tortured. She could see the pain on her son's face as he struggled not to do anything foolish which would have for sure gotten them all killed. She saw how it broke his heart when she screamed.
She knew how it broke his heart that she got married to that abusive husband of hers, and moved on from their relationship. It was the only reason she was so keen to push Draco towards dating other girls, because she didn't want him to revel in that pain forever. She wanted him to move on from it, and be happy again. But fate had a strange way of working, as it seemed to forever draw her son and Miss Granger together again.
She was happy for her son, because after the life he had lead, he deserved someone who would love him unconditionally. He deserved someone who would be there for him.
And now she had been kidnapped, and Narcissa couldn't help but worry that her husband was more involved in the matters than she had believed.
"You're worried about something," Andromeda said, pouring herself a cup of tea as she sat down beside her. "Does it have to do with Hermione?"
"What if Lucius is involved?" Narcissa whispered to her older sister. "What if my husband is involved in something that is going to devastate my son?"
"Do you believe him capable of hurting Draco like that?" Andromeda questioned her curiously.
"If he thought he was doing the right thing for Draco's future, by trying to ensure that he maintained his pureblood status, and married someone worthy, I believe he would do it. Hermione Granger is many things, but suitable by his standards is not one of them. If he thought he could do something to get Draco's mind off her, then I believe he would do it," Narcissa whispered, as tears flooded her eyes. She was so ashamed to be married to such a man who would callously hurt their son without any regard for his overall wellbeing. What difference did blood status make, when Voldemort wanted power, and killed everyone and anyone who stood in their way? What difference did it make when he was ready to kill her son for Lucius' faults?
She knew the only reason her son took the mark was because of her, and it broke her heart. She was his mother. She was the one who was supposed to be protecting him, and she had failed her son. And in doing so, he had been forced to nearly commit a crime that she never wanted him to have to do. She was so thankful that Severus had been there for him, even if Dumbledore had arranged with him ahead of time to complete the task.
"What would you do?" Andromeda asked her softly, "If you had to choose between your husband and your son? Would you choose your blood traitor son, or your husband who has no regard for your son's life or happiness? Who would you choose at the end of it all?"
"My son," she said without hesitation, "If it ever came down to it, then there is no choice. Not really. I would choose Draco, a hundred times over. And at the end of this all, if I find out that he's involved in any way, then it's over. I refuse to allow him to constantly harm our son, because he thinks he is doing the right thing. The need for blood purity has already cost me so much. It cost me you, it cost me happiness, it cost me a sister who went insane. It cost me our cousins. I refuse to allow it to cost me my own son."
Andromeda placed a hand over hers and said, "It won't. Draco and Harry will not rest until Hermione is found. And that girl is nothing if not a fighter. I wouldn't be surprised if she managed to save herself, somehow. Have faith, Narcissa. It's the only thing that keeps us going. The hope for a better world when the day ends."
They sat in their office a few hours later, after leaving Rose with Ginny, and coming in. It was top priority that they found Hermione; the sooner the better. They were trying to keep the entire thing under wraps still, as the last thing they needed was for the public to find out, and begin to panic. They had the element of surprise on their side at the moment, and that was something they very much needed to keep up if they wanted the upper hand through all of this.
Other than Kingsley and a few other high positioned Aurors, no one else knew the truth of what had happened to Hermione.
And Draco prayed that where ever she was, that she was doing okay. The last thing he needed was to lose her again, not after he lost her before. Not after he had watched her being tortured in front of him, and he couldn't do a thing about it.
"We still have no idea who is behind all of this," Harry mused, "We have no idea where to start until we figure that out."
"How?" Draco asked, frustrated, "We have no leads. If we did, we would have caught them long before they even got their hands on Hermione. And now she's in danger, because of my incompetence. What if something happens to her because of it?"
"We cannot think like that," Harry soothed his friend. "This hurts me as much as it does you, Draco. She's been my best friend for nearly a decade and a half. Do you think I'd be able to live with myself if something happened to the woman I consider to be my sister?"
Draco drew in a deep breath, "I'm sorry. I just-I feel like this is my fault somehow. If Death Eaters have Hermione, then it's probably not a far leap to make that it's because of our relationship."
"Or because she's the muggleborn brains behind Voldemort's take down," Harry interjected. "Don't give yourself too much credit, Draco. Hermione Granger is a target for a number of reasons. Her work with the prosecution. Who she is, what she's done, who she's loved; it doesn't make it any easier, for any of us. But we will get her back."
"How? He asked, albeit a bit desperate.
"We know what they're trying to do. They need to bring back someone from the dead, using a theoretical potion. Which means all the ingredients are not set in stone, they're going off of their best guesses. So we provide them something they'll want more than anything, something which they believe will give their potion the extra potency it needs to ensure that it brings back which ever person they need. And we give them what they want, or at least plant rumours of such a creature, that it piques their interest."
"Such as?" Draco raised a brow. "They already have most of the creatures that would be useful for such a potion. What else could you possibly provide them?"
"The heart of a Valkyrie," Harry said simply.
"That's impossible," he scoffed, "No one's seen on in hundreds of years. They're a creature of myths. They don't actually exist."
"But if one were to be found, think of what it could mean," Harry said smoothly, "A creature whom once guided her chosen warriors to the eternal afterlife. One who chose who lived and who died. If their heart was used, it could be used to bring back the life of one who died but was 'unchosen'. It would be a risk that the Death Eaters would take, to obtain the heart. They wouldn't want to leave anything to chance; they've already slain unicorns."
"So how do we spread these rumours?" Draco asked him curiously.
"We just need to know who will leak it appropriately in all the right circles," Harry said smugly, "And I happen to know a certain Mundungus Fletcher who owes me a favour."
Astoria grinned to herself, as she watched the chaos emerge around her. Draco was already devastated at the idea that Hermione could be in danger. And if she knew Lucius, he would do anything to ensure that his son remained with someone worthy of the Malfoy name. Definitely not some mudblood whore who was attempting to better her position in life. All she needed to do now was wait.
In time, Lucius and Rodolphus would begin whatever plan they had. She didn't know what it was, nor did she care. Either way her goal would be achieved, and Hermione would forever be gone from her life. She would no longer need to worry about the bitch trying to take what was rightfully hers.
And in reality, she really didn't care what happened afterwards. Ideally, it would be better for her if Lucius was not caught, as it would damage the name of the family she was attempting to marry into. But if he were, it would devastate Draco to know that his father schemed against him as so. And all she would need to do after was be there for him. To console him through his pain and show him that he could love again, and move forward with her. She would have everything she wanted soon enough.