AN: I hope you have all had a great week. As always, thanks for taking time to read and review.

This is the longest chapter in the story and one of my favorites.

Lost Souls of Nott Castle

Chapter 17 - In Plain Sight

Hermione and Draco were in the potions lab practicing brewing potions for their NEWT's. Potions had never been her best subject, but Draco had excelled in that class. Now that he had been working in an apothecary for a few weeks, he was convinced that he wanted to go on and study potions after he graduated.

Hermione, on the other hand, was quite sure she never wanted to brew potions again. She found the task to be tedious and not nearly as concise as she would like it to be. However, the theory of potions was something she enjoyed very much. Knowing the properties of the ingredients and how they interacted with each other to give the desired effect was her favorite part.

The two of them worked quite well together. They complimented each other in more ways than one.

The hour was getting late and their last potion was complete. She leaned her head against his shoulder. His arm wrapped around her waist and tugged her closer to him. She looked up at him and their eyes met. Then he leaned down and kissed her.

Theo captured the moment perfectly on film without them even knowing he was there.

The next day, they were sitting at the breakfast table with Theo and Blaise.

"I was thinking," she said out of the blue. "After work today I might go to Hogwarts. McGonagall told us we could use the library there to study, and I might be able to find that book on concealment charms there."

She hadn't seen or heard from Harry lately, but she had an uneasy feeling anyway. While part of her hoped that meant he had given up on his pursuit, a larger part was worried that was exactly what he wanted her to think. She didn't want to get so complacent that she forgot about the possible threat.

"Not a bad idea. Do you want me to go with you?" Draco asked.

She did, actually. But she knew he had to work all day.

"No, that's okay. I actually get off at one today, so I'll just go afterwards and meet you back here this evening."

"Alright. Or I could go to the castle after work. Meet you there?" His hand found hers under the table.

"Yeah, that sounds good." She smiled, a little relieved he would be willing to go out of his way like that.

Her shift at the store seemed to drag on. Halfway through the morning, she was opening boxes of new textbooks when she turned around and almost ran into a customer. In trying to avoid him, she tripped over an empty box and fell on her butt.

She was embarrassed and trying not to laugh at the same time.

"You okay there, Mione?"

She looked up and the humor instantly vanished when she saw Harry standing over her. He held his hand out to help her up. She just stared at it.

"Harry. You startled me." She scooted back as far as she could and took a deep breath.

"Getting rusty on your constant vigilance already?" He pulled his hand back and sneered down at her. The condescension in his voice threw her. She had never heard him speak that way before.

"I guess so." She reluctantly admitted. She had been completely unaware that he was there. He could have done anything to her and she wouldn't have even been able to defend herself. Her stomach dropped at the realization. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to say hi to my oldest friend. Is that okay?" The attitude in his voice was gone. The smile looked genuine. The glint in his eyes told a different story, though.

"Is Ron here? Technically he was your friend before I was, you know." She tried to sound casual as she stood up and dusted herself off.

"Okay, my second oldest friend." He rolled his eyes in a playful manner that was so familiar that it sent a pang of hurt through her heart.

"Well, hello then, Harry." She kept several meters between them and folded her arms over her chest. Her wand was tucked in the sleeve of her shirt and she wrapped her fingers around it, just in case she needed it.

"I miss you, Mione." He told her as he took a small step closer to her.

She stared into his green eyes, wondering if she could talk some sense into him, but doubting it. His eyes were not the warm, friendly eyes that she knew so well. They were studying her, analyzing her weakness, strategizing his next move.

"I miss our friendship, Harry." She told him. And she did. But she knew they would never have the same kind of friendship again. Something had changed and they could never get back to that point.

"Come to Grimmauld with me, then. I have the library and the study sorted out, and the master bedroom suite, too. You would love it."

She took a deep breath.

"That's great, Harry." She gave him a small smile. "I'm glad you're getting all settled in."

"But you aren't coming home with me, are you?" He asked.

"No, I'm not." She pushed her hair back behind her ears.

"I figured you would say that." He smiled at her. It was a knowing smile that sent a cold chill down her spine. His eyes raked her body from head to toe.

"I'll see you around, Mione." The words and the tone made the threat glaringly clear. He winked at her, then he turned and walked away.

Her fingers were still tight around her wand. Her heart was hammering in her ears. She needed to go, to get out of there.

Mechanically, she finished what she had been doing and cleaned up the packaging. She made sure to stay aware of her surroundings this time, though.

Then, even though it was barely eleven o'clock, she told Yvette that she wasn't feeling well and needed to leave.

She went straight across the street to the apothecary. The clerk behind the counter perked up when she walked in.

"Can I help you?" He asked. His eyes trailed down her body, but she was too upset at the time to pay it much mind.

"Yes. Hi. I need to speak to Draco. It's quite urgent." She was eyeing the doorway behind the counter, knowing that's where the lab was, and where he would be. Then her eyes darted out to the street, trying to look everywhere at once.

"Hermione?"

She turned back towards the doorway behind the counter and saw Draco standing there.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

Her eyes darted back towards the street. Her hands were shaking. She licked her lips.

His hands on her shoulders grounded her.

"What happened? Was it Potter?" His gray eyes searched hers. Finally she nodded.

"Yes." She cleared her throat. "He's up to something, Draco. I just know it."

"Alright. Come to the back with me." He guided her through the curtain to the potions lab.

"Ah, there you are, Mr. Malfoy. I wondered where you had disappeared too."

"My apologies, Master Abbott. Would it be okay if Hermione stays back here for a little while?"

The older gentleman raised his brow at her, then at Draco.

"Did you say Hermione?" He asked.

"Yes sir. Hermione Granger." She held her hand out. It was still shaking. "Pleasure to meet you. Draco speaks very highly of you."

"Does he, now?" The potions master took her hand gently and guided her towards his office. "Please, make yourself at home, Miss Granger."

"Thank you, sir."

She sat in a chair facing the door, with her knees pulled up in front of her and her wand in her hand. She watched Draco as he worked. Every now and then, he would look to make sure she was okay. She chewed on her lip and she watched the door.

When it was time for them to break for lunch, he joined her in the office.

"Do you want to go home?" He asked her.

"No. Not until you're ready. We should still go to Hogwarts tonight."

"What happened?" He opened his lunch and gave her half. She just picked at it.

"He was right there. I turned around and he wasn't two meters away. Maybe closer. Merlin, Draco. He could have done anything to me and I wouldn't have even known. He knew it, too. He laughed about it."

She leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Did he threaten you again?"

"Not in so many words," she sighed. "But he said he'd see me around. And he winked at me. It was just...creepy."

He put his arm around her and sighed. He had almost forgotten that Potter was a threat. They hadn't heard anything from him in weeks.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you at work. I hope I didn't get you in any trouble."

"Don't even worry about that." He gave her a quick kiss, then returned to work.

A few moments later, Master Abbott stepped into the office and smiled kindly at her.

"Miss Granger," he said quietly. "Are you quite alright?"

"Oh, yes sir." She still had her wand in hand, and she kept her eyes on the doorway as though she expected someone to walk through it at any moment. "I do apologize for interrupting your work day."

"Nonsense. You are welcome anytime." He looked as though he wanted to ask more questions, but he bit his tongue and returned to the lab with Draco.

As the time wore on, she began to relax a little. Her eyes left the door and she put her wand back in it's holster. Eventually she stood and stretched her muscles. She moved to the doorway of the office and leaned against the doorjamb.

She watched Draco and Master Abbott working together for some time before Draco's eyes flitted towards the office. He saw her standing there and paused. Then he smirked at her for a few seconds and returned to what he had been doing.

She returned to the office and curled up in the chair once again. This time, she let her eyes fall closed and she drifted into a light sleep. She was resting, but she could still hear movement in the lab beyond the doorway.

She was aware when they stopped working and stood outside the door to the office. She heard Draco sigh and she could picture him running his hands through his hair.

Her eyes fluttered open.

"Ready, Princess?" He asked with that smirk of his. She gave him a small smile.

"Whenever you are," she answered.

They went out through the back door into the alley. His hands rested on her waist and his eyes met hers.

"Hold on, Princess." He smirked at her and seconds later they apperated to the gates at Hogwarts.

When they were steady on their feet, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. For the first time since she had seen Harry that morning, she felt like she could breathe again.

He didn't question it. He just held her. He would have held her all night if she wanted him too.

Behind them, the gates to the castle creaked open. She took a deep breath and stepped back. Her eyes met his and she could clearly read the question there. "Are you okay?" They asked.

She nodded and took his hand. They stepped through the gates together. When they were through, the gates creaked again and swung closed. Hand in hand, they made the trek from the gates to the castle.

As they walked, they talked about some of their favorite memories of Hogwarts. Although they had obviously had some trying times at the castle, they had also had some great times, too. They were both laughing about how many times Seamus had made things explode in the potions lab as they came up to the front steps.

Draco stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Hermione stepped up, but stopped when she realized he hadn't joined her. She turned around to face him. As she did, his hand slipped around behind her and pulled her in closer. With her on the first step and him on the ground, they were eye to eye.

They stood there for a long moment, then they both seemed to move at the same time. Their lips met in a heated kiss that lasted far longer than it should have given their current location.

When they separated, her cheeks were flushed and her lips were swollen. The smile that stretched across her face belied her happiness to anyone that was looking.

"You are absolutely beautiful," he told her. It seemed he wanted to say something else, but he didn't continue.

"Stop it," she said with a laugh and a small eye roll, but her cheeks flushed even darker at the compliment as she turned to face the castle.

This time he followed her up the stairs. The front doors were open. They stepped across the threshold and immediately stopped when they nearly ran into Headmistress McGonagall. She was standing just inside the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyebrows raised.

"Miss Granger. Mr. Malfoy. This is an unexpected surprise." She sounded like she was amused but trying to sound stern.

"Good evening, Professor. I hope we haven't come at a bad time?" Hermione smiled up at her. She had to wonder how long their former professor had been standing there, and how much she had seen.

"Don't be silly, Miss Granger. Honestly, I expected you here weeks ago."

Draco snorted a laugh. She squeezed his hand a little tighter.

"Mr. Malfoy, I trust you received the information that I sent to the Ministry?"

"I did. Thank you." He cleared his throat.

"We're actually not here to study this evening." Hermione chimed in. "We are looking for a book that we hope to find in the library, on advanced concealment charms."

McGonagall looked back and forth between them for a long moment before clearing her throat.

"Very well. I trust you remember where the library is." She gestured towards the stairs. "If you cannot find what you are looking for, I believe Professor Flitwick is still in his office. He may be able to help you."

"Thank you, Professor."

They made their way up to the library without passing another soul. The castle was eerily quiet. Only the sound of their footsteps on the stone floor echoed through the halls.

The library was devoid of life as well, which suited them quite well. Hermione, still a bit jumpy from her earlier encounter, charmed the door to sound an alarm if anyone entered. She did not want to be caught off guard twice in the same day.

They had been searching for over an hour when they came to the end of the aisle that held the books on charms.

"Perhaps we should ask Flitwick," Draco said. "This could take days, and he would probably know exactly where to look, if it were even here."

Hermione looked him over. He was tired, she could tell. Tired and probably hungry and he had to get up for work in the morning.

"You are probably right," she agreed with a sigh as she pulled herself up to sit on the table at the end of the aisle.

He stood between her legs and she rested her head on his chest.

She took a shaky breath, then put to words the thought that had been fluttering through her mind all day.

"If we can't find it. If we can't perform the charm, then I have to move somewhere else." Her voice came out as a mere whisper, but he heard her loud and clear in the silence of the library. "I will just be endangering all of you if I stay."

He lifted her head from his chest, cradled her face in his hands.

"Get that Gryffindor rubbish out of your head right now," he told her as he looked deep into her eyes. "You are not going at this alone."

She searched his eyes. What she saw there gave her pause. Her breath caught in her throat. She nodded in agreement with him.

He kissed her gently, then held her close for a long moment.

She took a long, deep breath before pushing him away gently.

"Okay then," she said with resolve. "Let's go find Professor Flitwick."

"After you, Princess." He motioned toward the door and let her take the lead.

Together they walked to Flitwick's office, but there was no one there. In fact, all of the offices were empty.

"What time is it?" She asked finally. "Maybe they are eating dinner? Or gone home for the night?"

They tried the Great Hall and found no one. However, in a room just beyond they could see light and hear conversations. They pushed the door open and found all of their professors seated around a large round table eating dinner. There were two empty chairs between McGonagall and Flitwick.

"There they are," Professor Sprout announced as they walked into the room. "Please, join us!"

She motioned to the empty chairs. Hermione glanced at Draco. Neither of them had eaten, and the food smelled delicious.

"Thank you," she replied to Sprout. Draco pulled her chair out for her and they both sat. They pretended not to notice how the other occupants had gone completely still at his action. Or how they were undoubtedly noticing that they had moved their chairs closer together.

They filled their plates and joined in on the conversations. Hermione immediately asked Flitwick about the Advanced Concealment Charm book. He chuckled and told her he was sure it was in the charms section in the library, but he would help her look after dinner.

She thought to herself that they had looked through the whole section. Methodically they had read every title, and it wasn't there. He must have been mistaken.

"Have many of the students in our year come here to study?" Draco was asking McGonagall.

"Quite a few." She answered. "Most of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs have been. Miss Granger is the last of the Gryffindors to show up, and you, Mr. Malfoy, are the first of the Slytherins."

"So Ron and...and Harry have both been here?" Hermione asked as nonchalantly as possible.

"Several times, yes, though never together which I have found quite strange. They both asked after you."

"We haven't really talked in several weeks." She ran her hand through her hair nervously. "Could you, maybe, not tell them we were here? Especially Harry."

She pleaded with her eyes that her former head of house would understand her request.

"If that's your wish, Miss Granger, we will keep your visit confidential."

She relaxed just a little.

"Thank you." Her hand found Draco's under the table. He ran his thumb over her wrist in soothing patterns.

After that, she retreated into her mind as she finished eating her dinner. Thoughts swirled one after another. The prevalent one being that she had to find that book.

The book on concealment charms. She had to find it. Flitwick said it was in the library, but they had looked. She knew they had looked, but they hadn't found it.

They hadn't found it. It was hiding somewhere.

Hidden.

Concealed.

"Oh, Merlin!" She exclaimed. The conversations around her all ceased as the table's occupants looked at her expectantly.

"Of course! How could I have been so stupid?" She pushed her plate away and stood quickly.

"Granger?" Draco was looking at her like she had sprouted two heads. "You okay there?"

"What? Yes, yes. I'm fine. It's just, it was right there, don't you see?" She laughed at the beauty of it, but she was already halfway to the doorway. "We looked right at it."

She didn't wait for his response, or for him to follow. She slipped out the door and headed to the staircase.

"Hey, Princess! Wait up." She was almost to the top of the first staircase when she heard his steps behind her.

"Hurry up, Malfoy." She called over her shoulder as she started up the second staircase. She slowed, but didn't stop to wait for him. He caught up to her by the time she reached the third staircase, though.

"Are you going to explain to me what exactly you figured out in that big brain of yours?" He asked as they neared the library.

"The book, Draco. Advanced Concealment Charms. It's concealed. It's hidden. Somehow, we looked right at it. We just have to figure out which one it is."

He paused and just watched her for a minute as she practically bounced towards the library, positively giddy at having solved the mystery, or at least being a step closer.

Behind him, they could hear Professors McGonagall and Flitwick coming up the stairs.

"Well done, Miss Granger." Flitwick chuckled from below. "Well done, indeed."

By the time Draco made it into the library, she had already scanned through an entire shelf. She wasn't reading the titles this time like they did before. This time, she was looking at the books, examining them. Size, shape, color. She skimmed her hands over the spines, reaching out with her magic.

Draco stood back and watched her work. McGonagall and Flitwick arrived moments after he did, and they watched as well. Hermione was oblivious to their stares, focused completely on finding the hidden book amongst a library full of them.

Methodically she worked from the bottom shelf up. She was on the fourth shelf from the floor, close to the end of the aisle, when she stopped. As her fingers brushed the spine of an ordinary looking, brown leather bound book, she felt a tingle in her fingertips. The title of the book was worn, but read "In Plain Sight".

She bit her lip in concentration. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, centering herself. The magic in the book was calling to her. She was sure of it.

She pulled the book off the shelf and took it to the table.

"Is that it?" Draco asked as he stood behind her.

"I think so," she told him. Then she opened the cover.

Inside, the book was hollow. Inside the hollowed out section, there were two rows of books on a wooden bookcase. Each book had a Roman numeral on it from I to X. She ran her fingers over them and stopped at the one with a III on the binding.

She pulled the small book out of the regular sized book and tapped it with her wand. The book enlarged to a normal size. There on the cover was the title "Advanced Concealment Charms, Volume III"

Draco picked her up and spun her around in a circle.

"You are bloody brilliant," he murmured in her ear.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

A throat clearing behind them had her pulling away. She had forgotten their professors were standing right behind them.

"Well done, Miss Granger," Flitwick intoned again as he beamed up at her. "I do hope you have considered Charms Master as a potential career path."

"Oh," she blinked at him. "I don't know, Professor. I haven't really started narrowing down my choices yet."

"Well, these may help. Or make your choice harder." McGonagall said with a laugh as she handed her a stack of letters.

"What is all this?" She asked.

"Apprenticeship and employment offers. Read through them and let me know if you are interested in any of them."

"Wow. Thank you." She flipped through the stack.

Draco nudged her shoulder. She looked up at him and grinned. He knew that her mind was already spinning with possibilities. The more pressing matter, though, was going to be finding a way to keep Potter from finding her.

"Mr. Malfoy," McGonagall continued. "I understand you have been working with Master Abbott at the apothecary in Diagon Alley."

"Yes, that's correct." He answered.

"And have you considered pursuing a mastery in potions?" She raised her brow.

"I've considered it," he said carefully. "I really don't even know where to start, though."

"You can start here." She handed him an envelope. "An application to the potions guild. Master Abbott has already offered to sponsor you. I would be happy to submit a letter of recommendation, as will Professor Slughorn. If you are accepted, you would become Master Abbott's apprentice. He would teach you what you need to know. The guild administers a series of tests that you must pass to be given the title of Master. It usually takes five to six years."

Draco looked at the packet in awe. He didn't know what to say. Hermione nudged his shoulder.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

McGonagall nodded her head at him.

"Now, is there anything else we can do for the two of you?"

"Is it okay for me to take this with me?" Hermione asked, gesturing to the series of books on the table.

"Of course!" Flitwick exclaimed. "If you need any help or have any questions on how to perform the charms in there, let me know. I would be happy to help. Is there a particular charm that you are looking for?"

Hermione hesitated for a moment.

"I'd like to make my residence unplottable. Perhaps even add a Fidelis charm."

McGonagall raised her brow and folded her hands together. Flitwick cocked his head to the side.

"Those are very complex charms, Miss Granger." He told her.

"I'm sure they are. I will send you an owl if I have any questions."

He seemed pleased with her response.

"You may use the floo in my office to return home, if you would like." McGonagall offered as they gathered their things. It had become quite late.

"Thank you. That would be great." Hermione smiled up at her.

Flitwick bid them good evening and they followed McGonagall to her office.

"The last time Mr. Potter was here, he seemed very agitated." The headmistress said before she activated her floo. "He asked everyone here if they had heard from you or if we had any idea where you might be staying."

Hermione felt her heart drop. She looked to Draco and saw that his eyes had hardened and his hand was squeezed into a fist.

"Can I assume that he is not supportive of your...relationship?"

Hermione cleared her throat. Draco turned to her and raised his brow. He was leaving it up to her as to how much she wanted to tell their former professor.

"He has decided that the two of us, Harry and I, belong together. He has been quite insistent on the matter." She pushed her hair back and leaned against Draco's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close. "He suspects that Draco and I are seeing each other, but as far as I know he doesn't have proof. We've tried to limit our affections in public."

Draco waited for her to continue. When she did not, he cleared his throat.

"He has threatened her twice now."

"Oh my!" McGonagall covered her heart in surprise, but when Hermione didn't deny it she knew it must be true. "Miss Granger, do let me know if there is anything I can do to help."

"Thank you, Professor. I do appreciate it."

"Are you ready?" Draco asked her. She nodded in response.

A few moments later, they were back in the sitting room at Nott Castle. The household was silent.

They climbed the stairs together. Draco walked with her to her door.

She could tell he was tired. It had been a very long day, after all.

"Would you like to come in?" She asked anyway. She bit her lip and looked up at him through her eyelashes while she waited for his response.

He swallowed and his tongue darted out to wet his lips.

"I shouldn't." He answered, but he was leaning in closer.

She opened the door and backed through. Her fingers tangled with his and tugged gently. He hesitated for a moment, then followed her through the door.

AN: I'd love to hear your thoughts. Also excited to say I've started a new WIP. I'm not posting it yet and I'm only on the second chapter, but it feels good to be writing again. Until next time -mezy