And now Draco and Hermione! I couldn't leave you all only getting to read one valentines date and not the other. Two chapters in two days!
I thought I should just quickly chat about Ron, I know some of you are finding this to be a Ron bashing story, but that was never my intention, and I don't think it is. Ron has just not been a part of the growth the other characters have faced. They four main characters in my story have had to face their biases and preconceived ideas and have grown through them. Ron is still very black and white. As a teacher of teenagers I can assure you that they do not always handle conflict well, it takes them time to learn how to handle relational conflict in a mature manner (and lets be honest, so do many adults) and I think Hermione, Ron and Harry are struggling with this issue together. I don't want Ron to be the bad guy here, but he is also just not central to my plot. I have some other stories in the planning stages and Ron has some bigger parts to play in them!
I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Hermione had been surprised to see the direction to 'dress muggle' under her robes, but she obliged happily. She decided she would wear some of her nice jeans and a white t-shirt and an expensive pink woollen jumper she bought recently. She tied her hair into a loose ponytail to show off her earrings and made her way to the seventh floor.
When she arrived at the Room she saw Draco waiting out the front for her. He was holding a picnic basket and was wearing his usual smart robes. He was leaning against the wall with an easy way about him. Grinning widely at seeing him she ran up and jumped into his arms and planted a big kiss on his lips.
He caught her with his one free arm and mumbled into her mouth. 'Hermione, someone could see us.'
She pulled back and smiled happily 'I don't give a shit right now. But come on, what have you got in store for me!' She asked excitedly, bouncing on her toes after he let her down.
'Well,' he said and turned to face the door that he had been leaning on. 'I am not entirely sure at the moment.'
'What do you mean?' Hermione asked, confused as to his response.
'Well I asked the room for something muggle, and well, I don't know what it all is.' He said sheepishly.
Hermione didn't think she could be this happy. Here was Draco Malfoy, the poster boy for Pureblood snobbery, telling her he had arranged an entirely muggle date for them. Her excitement taking over she grabbed his hand and pulled them into the room, her happiness only increasing as she saw what the room had provided.
It was vastly smaller than the room usually was but it had a very cosy feel to it. There was a fire going, but what caught Hermione's eye was the two bean bags in the middle of the carpet covered floor, with a number of board games surrounding them. As she was looking at it all Draco walked forward into the middle of the beanbags and took off his robe. What he was wearing underneath blew her away.
There, instead of a wizarding robed Draco Malfoy, stood Draco the muggle teenager. Somehow he had gotten his hands on some muggle clothes and was wearing them for her. He was wearing a pair of faded denim jeans, some sneakers and white button down shirt. He was looking at her anxiously.
'Is this right? Potter helped me.' He said, unsure of her reaction.
Before he knew what happened he was hit with a flying Hermione who tackled him onto one of the beanbags and kissed him passionately. They remained that way for sometime, exploring each other and enjoying all the sensations that it brought.
When they finally stopped and lay breathless on the beanbag next to each other Hermione spoke.
'You are the best. I can't believe you dressed like a muggle.' She said with a happy sigh.
'Hermione, it is an important part of who you are and I truly meant it when I told you that I want to embrace it for you. I hope I got it all right.' He replied earnestly.
'You did wonderfully.' She answered with a smile. 'And you said Harry helped you?'
'Yes, much to my chagrin Potter was very helpful.' He said with a smile as Hermione playfully slapped him.
'He explained to me what muggle boys wear and I managed to find a store run by a muggleborn wizard who sold both magical and muggle clothes. I even convinced Potter to buy some clothes from them considering how poor quality his are. I know it has something to do with his home life, so I figured now that he is Head of House Black he should dress the part.' He explained.
Hermione didn't think she could love this boy anymore, but hearing that he had encouraged Harry to finally buy some of his own clothes and told him that it was okay to dress nicely and use his money made her heart burst.
She had always had a suspicion that Harry didn't spend his money for two reasons, one, he didn't even know how, and secondly, he was worried about how Ron would react. The few times Harry had bought something slightly expensive, Ron had acted jealous and so Harry had stopped.
She gave him another long kiss. 'You are wonderful.' She said and then turned to the board games. 'Right, time to educate you on muggles.' She said happily, remaining on the beanbag with him and not moving over to the unused one.
'What we are sitting on is a beanbag, it's a muggle invention to be used exactly as we are. These are board games. There are hundreds of board games in the muggle world and much like chess, they involve pieces and strategy to end the game. Others are a bit more immersive.' She explained happily.
'You pick one and I will get the dinner out.' He said, enjoying her enthusiasm and was genuinely interested to learn the games. Potter had told him how to access the kitchens and he had asked the elves to make muggle food. At first they had seemed confused but to his surprise his old house elf Dobby had shown up and looked at him carefully.
He had told the Malfoy heir that he had been watching him this year since he had been working with the Great Harry Potter. He had been keeping an eye on him to make sure he was genuine and wouldn't hurt either of his friends. He told Draco in no uncertain terms that he would hurt him very badly if he hurt 'Miss Grangy' to which Draco said that he wouldn't dare. It seemed to have done the trick because Dobby explained that he knew where to get Muggle food from and would bring it to him.
And so Draco pulled out a bunch of food that he had no idea about.
'Hermione,' He said, getting her attention. 'Can you explain this all please?'
Hermione turned around from where she sat on the floor going through the Board games and her eyes went comically wide.
'Where on earth did you get all this?' She asked, shocked to see so much Muggle food on display.
'Dobby.' he replied a little sheepishly.
'Dobby?!' She yelled in surprise.
'Yes Miss Grangy?' Dobby appeared with a pop, mismatched socks and a tower of woollen hats to match.
'Oh hi, Dobby.' Hermione greeted awkwardly. 'I didn't mean to call you. I didn't even know that you would respond when I did.' She said, now a bit embarrassed.
'Miss Grangy is friends with the Great Harry Potter. Dobby is honoured to come when Miss Grangy called.' he replied happily, completely missing the first part of her statement.
'Well that's very nice Dobby.' Hermione said kindly. 'Draco said that you helped him find all this Muggle food.' She asked, shooting a suspicious look to Draco who just looked embarrassed.
'Yes Miss Grangy! Dobby has been watching Master Draco all year and he has changed. He's not like Bad Master, he is now more like Misseses Malfoys. She was a nice misseses, always nice to Dobby. When Dobby saw that Miss Grangy and Master Draco were joined now, Dobby was very happy and wanted to help!' The little elf said while bouncing around.
As much as Hermione liked the elf, he was ruining her date. 'Thank you Dobby, that was very kind. We will be okay now.' Hermione said and with a happy smile Dobby popped away.
As soon as he did Hermione and Draco just started laughing.
'He was always a strange elf.' Draco said. 'But he seems pretty protective of you.' he said with a smirk.
'Well you better be on your best behaviour, or I'll call him back.' Hermione teased back.
He gave her a sinister look and lunged forward and tackled her gently into the beanbag behind her and started kissing her all over the face.
She laughed as he did so, before grabbing his face and planting a seating kiss on him. Just as he was about to deepen it she slipped out from underneath him and went over to the food.
'So Muggle food.' she said brightly to him as he rolled his eyes and came over.
'This is pizza, it's from Italy. You'll love it. This is called coca cola, it's fizzy so be careful and very sugary. My parents are dentists and don't let me have a lot of it. Oh these are fizz whizz, it's sherbet! Another sweet my parents don't allow, so naturally I love them!
'What's a dentist?' Draco asked, desperately trying to remember everything she had just told him.
'Muggles don't have magic to look after their teeth, so that's what dentists do. They stop them from decaying and straighten them when they get bent.'
'Interesting' he said, still slightly confused.
She laughed. 'It's not that interesting, but my dad would love to talk to you about it.' She said happily.
'Do you think?' Draco looked nervous. 'Would he and your mother be happy to meet me?'
She kissed him lightly, 'They would be delighted. I have never told them too much about the bullying in my early years because I didn't want them to worry or make me leave. Magic is just too exciting. They aren't afraid of magic either, they have been excited for when I turn 17 so I can show them everything I have learnt. They haven't even met Ron or Harry so they will be ecstatic. And don't worry. They will love you, because I love you and I have good judgement.' She smiled brightly.
It helped to calm some of Draco's nerves, but meeting his girlfriend's parents still made him a little concerned.
They tucked into the food and as Hermione predicted, Draco loved everything. They spent their dinner discussing Muggle daily life and History. Draco was fascinated to find out about the moon landing, aeroplanes, submarines, telephones, the lot. He never knew Muggles were so inventive. Despite some of it sounding a bit scary, he was excited for Hermione to show it all to him.
'Hermione, do you think you could show me some of those things now?' he asked, hopeful to see some of what she had talked about.
She put down the slice of pizza she was about to eat, 'You mean through legilimency?' she asked and he nodded.
'Okay!' she replied happily. His interest in her world was so beautiful and pure. It was clear that so many of his father's teachings were falling off him. He had already shown a determination to be Muggle for her, but now he was actually excited!
'What would you like to see first?' she asked as they entered her mindscape.
'That televisi, thing.' he said determinedly. She giggled at his face. It had stumped him when they had tested her defences last time and clearly he wanted to conquer it.
And so she showed him how a television worked, she showed him her flying on an aeroplane, calling her mum on the phone, riding in a car, anything and everything. It was after many questions from Draco that Hermione decided to be a little cheeky.
She suddenly brought up a memory of her Christmas vacation where she was laying on a beach in a red bikini. Much to her delight Draco spluttered, stumbled and pulled out of her memory very fast.
'Hermione! I'm so sorry, I don't know how I accessed that, I -' She placed a hand on his mouth.
'Draco it's okay. I wanted you to see that.' his eyes opened in surprise.
'I know the magical world is very conservative in their dress sense, but in the Muggle world what I was wearing is very accepted. It's called a bikini and I wear it when I go swimming. Now I am assuming you liked what you saw?'
He nodded behind her hand.
'Good answer.' She continued with a cheeky grin. 'Now you won't be able to see that again until it's in person when I take you to a Muggle beach.' she said with a smirk and took her hand away.
Draco had calmed himself down and managed to reply, 'I think I'm liking these muggles more and more.' he said with a wink.
Hermione rolled her eyes but laughed, enjoying his flirting.
'Time for a game I think.' she said and took out mousetrap.
For the next few hours they played a variety of games including monopoly, battleship, connect four, operation, hungry hungry hippos and twister. Both having the best time. They were so free and relaxed, neither could recall a time at Hogwarts that they felt so joyful and comfortable with the opposite sex.
'We should do this one night with Pansy and Potter.' Draco suggested after he had fallen into a heap, losing another game of twister to Hermione.
'That would be brilliant!' Hermione replied brightly. 'Thank you Draco, for the way you have been treating Harry recently. I know it will be some time before you will actually admit that you two are friends now, but Harry needs someone like you in his life.' she said earnestly and came and lay on top of him as he lay on the floor.
Draco shrugged, a little embarrassed by what she had said. 'He's not that bad I guess.' He replied with a smirk, causing Hermione to laugh again.
'I know you're friends, and that's good enough for me.' She said and kissed him fiercely. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tight. He felt so lucky and she so secure.
The last part of their night was devoted to enjoying each other's kisses. They found themselves side by side, legs and arms entwined and lazily lying on one of the bean bags. Draco was wrapping his fingers through Hermione's curls and then watching as they would bounce as he let them go. Hermione was softly drawing runes on Draco's chest with her fingers, which was half exposed after she had unbuttoned his shirt during a particularly passionate kiss. They alternated from soft kisses and quietly staring into each other's eyes.
'Unfortunately it is past curfew.' Draco said as he pulled away from the goddess attached to his lips.
Hermione sighed a bit sadly. 'I know. Thank you so much for tonight. Everything was amazing.' she said earnestly, looking deeply into his eyes.
'It was my greatest pleasure.'' He responded and kissed her on the nose. 'I love you.'
'I love you too.'
They picked themselves up off the floor and left the room. With one final kiss on the staircase they made their way to their dorms, unaware that the other secret couple would not be getting into their beds until early the next morning before anyone else woke up.
-break-
Draco's idea to have a couple's board game night came into being only a week after Valentine's Day. He hadn't been able to shut up about how much fun they were the Monday after the 14th and they all agreed to play games on the Thursday, mostly just to shut him up about it. But they all had a wonderful time.
It was nice for them to spend an evening together just being teenagers. Pretending the war wasn't really around, that they weren't stepping closer towards danger each day. Dobby had managed to find more Muggle food and Pansy, much like Draco, had absolutely loved it. It seemed pizza dates were going to be happening a lot in her and Harry's future.
Hermione had even lent Pansy some Muggle clothes for the night. She had gotten changed in a small change area the room had provided for her with Hermione's help.
When she had come out Harry hadn't been unable to stop staring. Draco had to do a double take having never seen her dressed that way before. Jeans and a blue woollen jumper that wasn't too tight.
-flashback-
Draco slapped Harry on the back of the head to get him to speak.
'You look beautiful.' He finally got out and approached her. Hermione and Draco gave them some space and set up mousetrap to start the night.
'Thanks.' Pansy responded shyly, she had never worn clothes like this before and was feeling quite self-conscious.
'It's very different.' She said, her hands touching the jeans and jumper. 'But it is surprisingly comfortable.' she said more to herself.
Harry smiled and took her hand in his. He was wearing some of his new clothes that Draco had told him to buy. He was finally wearing jeans that fit and a plain black t-shirt.
'This is the first time I've had clothes that fit me.' Harry said, lifting her chin with his other hand so they were looking at each other. 'We are in this together, always.' He said, trying to show confidence and help her feel more relaxed.
'Always.' she repeated back and he gave her a light kiss.
-end flashback-
Pansy had grown accustomed to the Muggle clothes and by the end of the night had been happy enough to take off her jumper and spend the night in a t-shirt, much like Hermione had, as they played twister which got both competitive and warm.
The two couples agreed that they needed to do it again at some point, it was a great de-stresser and helped them leave all their troubles behind.
-break-
It was in the middle of March and the four had finished a lesson with Snape, when the older man asked for a meeting.
'I wish to hear your progress on things.' He said simply and pointed them all to the table and chairs.
They had told him of the destruction of the Horcrux and the discovery of the rune piece, but they had not discussed any progress since then.
'We have translated all the runes and understand the concept of what the cabinet does.' Hermione explained to the three males as they sat around the table in the Room. 'We have a pretty good idea of what the missing runes are, and we should be finished and the cabinet ready to use by early April at the latest.'
Snape nodded his approval.
'I will continue to delay the Dark Lord.' Draco said. 'So far he thinks I am struggling with the Cabinet, he has no idea that I know of the Runes.' He finished looking at Snape to see if this was true.
'That is correct.' The older man added. 'He is, however, getting frustrated at the slow progress being made. His mind may be mostly on other aspects of the war he is planning, but he does wish for something to take place within Hogwarts soon. He wishes to be rid of Dumbledore's influence and strength before he launches his final assault on the ministry and Azkaban in the summer.'
The four teens looked at each other nervously. They had been working hard all year to improve their magic, but to hear that the Dark Lord was pushing for a final assault soon, they were suddenly anxious about what they may have to face.
'We need to figure out how we are going to get Mrs. Malfoy out of the manor.' Pansy said, frustrated, 'Otherwise it doesn't matter what we do here, she will be in danger and much of this year will have been a waste.' She finished angrily.
'I have a solution for you, however it is not one that I think you will be pleased with.' Snape spoke to them all. His tone always forcing students to look and listen.
'I believe we will need to infiltrate the Manor itself and remove Narcissa ourselves.' The four looked at him with shock and fear on their faces.
'You want us to sneak into the very building Riddle is hiding in?' Harry asked incredulously. 'If it wasn't for your Vows I would swear you were setting us up to be killed.' He added with a shake of his head.
'If it was just you going Potter, I might be,' He responded with a sinister smirk on his face. Harry just shot him a glare back.
'What is your plan Professor?' Hermione asked.
'I believe that our best chance of getting Draco's mother out of the Manor is to infiltrate it when there is minimal amount of Death Eaters in residence. During a situation that we have designed and one in which we control the outcome.' He supplied. Looking at each one to see who would discover his meaning. He was pleased to see that it was his godson who spoke first.
'Are you suggesting that we allow an attack on the school to take place and during the attack we sneak into the Manor and get my mother out?' he asked, unsure of the wisdom of the plan.
'You want to let Death Eaters into the school?' Harry shouted. Alarmed at what Snape was suggesting.
'Calm down Harry and let him explain.' Pansy said firmly, but not unkindly. The professor had always done right by her and she would wait to see what he had in mind before she jumped to conclusions.
Harry turned and looked at Pansy and silently agreed to hold his tongue. He trusted her and her judgement.
'Thank you Miss Parkinson.' Snape said, inclining his head. 'What I am proposing is not without risk, but in these times we shall never be able to act without some risk. It is better for us to be the ones laying the trap, than having one laid upon us.' He finished looking at Harry pointedly.
Harry hated it but he saw what his Defence Professor was meaning. One of the reasons they had decided to take the Vow with the Slytherins in the first place was to get in front of events and be the ones predicting them. The reminder of the Ministry was a low blow, but Harry knew why he had made it.
With a terse tilt of his head, Harry motioned for Snape to continue.
'With the cabinet fixed, it will be their only way into the school. Which means we will know not only when they will arrive but also where. If this is to be the moment that Draco and my betrayal is to be realised, then let us use it to our advantage and do as much damage as we can. We can let the Headmaster know when the attack will take place. He is ready to sacrifice his own life, but not those of his students. He will ensure The Order's presence within the school and we can direct them to wait on the seventh floor and catch them in a crossfire. If all goes to plan we can take out some of the Dark Lord's most loyal fighters. He will undoubtedly send Bellatrix to lead the attack and I would imagine Greyback would want to come and have his chance at young children.' He finished with disgust in his voice.
'And my mother?' Draco asked.
'While this is happening, Potter can leave the school through one of the many exits undetected through the use of his cloak and map and apparate to Malfoy Manor where he will infiltrate the house and get Narcissa out. Unfortunately Draco and I must be at the school. The Dark Lord will expect us to help bring down the Headmaster.' The man explained his plan.
'You want to send Harry in there alone?' Hermione asked incredulously.
'Maybe you are on Riddle's side after all.' Harry huffed out and crossed his arms, looking at the man with distrust.
Snape had had enough of Potter's attitude and having his loyalty questioned. He stared at Harry and spoke in a soft menacing tone.
'This might be hard for you to understand Potter, what with your puny intelligence, but do try and listen carefully. That Manor is crawling with the Dark Lord's loyal followers. How do you think it would work if the four of you went bumbling around in the house? Tell me, how many people will fit under that cloak? Do you believe you could all escape notice?'
Harry, irritated by the man for being right about the cloak, was still annoyed enough to respond in kind. 'And how do you suggest I find Mrs Malfoy? Just wander the halls and call her name? And why would she trust me if I just showed up?'
'Have you ever heard of a map, Potter?' Snape sneered at him. 'And I will tell her to expect you. I am still trusted highly by the Dark Lord. He will not expect treachery from me.' He finished, daring Harry to find a hole in his plan.
'How will I get through the wards?' Harry asked, running out of arguments against this plan.
Snape's persona changed as he leant back and his face became one of extreme smugness. 'You will need someone with the mark to allow you through. I will get you the rat.' He said simply.
All four students looked at him with various expressions. Draco with revulsion, he had met Pettigrew and hated the man. There was something off about him. He knew of his nickname the rat due to his father mentioning it multiple times.
Pansy's lip curled in distaste, and something a bit sinister. Harry had told her all about Pettigrew the traitor and what he had done to his parents. She knew how much this man had hurt him and she was looking forward to exacting some revenge on him for Harry's sake.
Hermione looked at Snape startled and hopeful. This would be an amazing opportunity for them. To capture Pettigrew opened many possibilities to them into the future. A way to get through Death Eater wards, a way to clear Sirius' name, even after his death she knew it would mean a lot to Harry, and it would hopefully provide some closure for her best friend.
Harry meanwhile looked at Snape with undisguised murderous intent. Snape had never seen Lily's boy with that look before. He had seen him angry on many occasions, but nothing like this. His bright green eyes, that resembled his mother even when he was angry, were almost a dark green now, resembling not his mother, but a predator about to devour a prey.
'You can't kill him Potter.' Snape said pointedly to Harry's facial expression.
'I know.' Harry ground out. 'But I can imagine it.'
Pansy took Harry's hand in hers. He looked at her expecting some sort of calming presence, or maybe disapproval, but instead he saw understanding, he saw agreement, he saw that she would not stop him if he took some revenge on the rat, in fact she might help.
That understanding that she showed him in that moment was far beyond anything he had ever expected from anyone.
Hermione watched the interaction with a smile, but also a hint of worry. Pansy and Harry were both slightly damaged emotionally and she was a bit concerned about what the two might do to Pettigrew if they got the chance. Not that she would stop justice from happening, she just didn't want Harry to do anything he would regret.
'How will you get the traitor?' Harry asked, turning back to Snape.
'Easily. He is staying at my house.' The older man said simply causing the students to raise either eyebrows at him, but his silence made it clear he would not be answering that question.
'So Pettigrew will get Harry through the wards, but I still don't like the fact that he is going in alone.' Hermione said aloud. She understood Snape's reasoning and agreed with many of it. They couldn't simply all just waltz into Malfoy Manor and expect to go unnoticed. It had to be kept as small as possible, but she was unsure it was the wisest decision to send Harry in without any back up.
'I will go with Harry.' Pansy spoke firmly. 'It is too important a mission to leave to one individual. I will go with Harry and be an extra pair of eyes and ears.' Her tone was confident and final. She looked around the table at each person as they weighed up her decision. Harry was the first to nod his approval. He knew how powerful this witch was and if he was to have anyone with him, he was glad it would be her.
'What about Riddle?' Hermione asked, 'What if he is at the Manor?'
'He won't be.' Snape replied simply. 'He does not like to be idle when his followers are out on missions. He will use the distraction that an attack on Hogwarts provides to seek out others he wants removed from the equation. He is a serpent who strikes in the dark. He has many plans in motion, Hogwarts is just one, and I am not privy to them all, but I can assure you that he will not be in residence.'
'And what of Hermione?' Draco asked, satisfied that Pansy and Potter would be as safe as they could, he wished to know what plans Snape may have for her.
'I will rally the DA.' Hermione said with determination.
'No.' Snape said simply. 'A school study group will be of no use against trained Death Eaters.' He spoke with a dismissive tone.
'They are more than that.' Hermione challenged. 'I have been pushing them harder and harder. While some have left and many more will once I tell of this plan, but there are a number of students who are determined to fight this war. Many have lost loved ones and already know the reality of it. They will fight. Harry and I can up their training and teach them some of the more powerful spells we have learnt.' Her reply was passionate and firm.
Snape, grudgingly, respected her ferocity. 'You can train them Miss Granger and I will come and assess them. If I deem them capable then they can join the fight. But they would need to work in pairs and support the Order. Not take over the fight.' He was unconvinced that they would be any help, but this was the best way to placate the once timid bookworm.
Hermione sat back pleased. She did not like the idea of the three closest people to her life putting themselves in danger while she sat on the side-lines. If wrangling the DA into a more fierce fighting force to give Draco, Harry and Pansy more time, she would do it.
'Potter, if what I hear is true, then the werewolf is now loyal to you and not Dumbledore?' Snape asked Harry, changing the subject now that his main plan was approved by the school children.
'He is.' Harry nodded, unsure of why that mattered.
'Good. It would be wise to make him aware of these plans. I am assuming that Narcissa will be taken to Grimmauld Place?'
Harry nodded again, curious to where his Professor was going.
'Excellent. Get the werewolf to prepare the house for the arrival of a guest. Do not tell him who it is just yet, but inform him of the broad strokes. Convince him he doesn't need to know just yet. It will be better this way.'
'What of the Order?' Draco asked, concerned. 'I don't want my mother to exchange one prison for another. I know how paranoid Moody is. I don't want him interrogating her every chance she gets.'
'Once your mother is safely behind those wards I will take complete control of the secret to the whereabouts of my home. Only those who I deem trustworthy will be allowed entrance. It is likely that it will be Dumbledore won't be around for much longer so the Order will be without a leader anyway.' Harry said grimly. The reality of their plan really sinking in. Dumbledore would be dead soon and the burden would fall to him, them, it would fall to them to finish this war.
Draco was relieved to hear Harry's answer. He wanted his mother to finally be free and if he had just ended up extending her suffering he would never have forgiven himself.
'Are we in agreement?' Snape asked the group.
After receiving four confirmations he broached the final conversation that needed to take place.
'As Potter has just said the Headmaster does not have much time left and it must be said, and you must all be prepared, that this night we are planning will ultimately end in the Headmaster's death. Are you prepared for this eventuality? Draco has been given a mission and I have taken a Vow that will forfeit both our lives if I do not fulfil it. The Headmaster may be dying, but he will not pass from the curse for some time, it must be by my hand. Once this night is over our allegiances will be made clear to the world and my opportunity to fulfil the Vow will be at hand. The Vow will not allow me to pass up the opportunity, it will be done.' The Potions Master had spoken with a deep sadness in his voice that none had ever heard before, and the weight of his words settled heavy on their shoulders. Harry's more than the rest, who hung his head in sadness. The boy in question felt the eyes of his new ally on him. 'Do you all understand what I must do, what must be allowed to take place?'
Despite speaking to the room, they all knew he was speaking to Harry directly. With a heavy heart and a tear of sadness and frustration rolling down his cheek Harry lifted his head and nodded his understanding.
'Draco, it would be wise of you to begin to draw out your house and figure out the best route to your mother. Teach it to Potter and Miss Parkinson until it is ingrained in their memories. We cannot afford any missteps.' And with that final proclamation Snape swept from the room.