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Draco froze after the Dark Lord's proclamation. "My Lord, I'm not sure…"
His snake-eyes narrowed. "Are you refusing to do my bidding?"
The one-time Slytherin Prince began backtracking immediately. "No, not at all…"
"Because, Mr. Malfoy, your family has been walking on very thin ice these past few years. I would hate to see what would happen to your parents if you were to not accomplish this very simple task."
Draco paused as his eyes drifted to his parents. Both were looking at him with wide eyes, desperately begging him to concede. Lucius was, at least. Narcissa was guarded. She wore the same blank look she had for years. However, it seemed to be hiding something for the first time in ages.
"I…I will follow your orders m'lord," Draco murmured, casting his eyes from his parents. He had already felt the fear and guilt of holding their fate in his hand. He would not fail them again.
Voldemort smirked. "Well chosen."
Draco took a deep breath. Collect Hermione Grang…Le Fay from the Order and bring her to the Dark Lord.
How hard could it be, he thought weakly.
His master rose from his mahogany throne. "A note, Draco."
He straightened. "Yes, my Lord?"
"Do not inform Miss Le Fay of her new found parentage."
He raised an eyebrow. "Why not, my Lord? Wouldn't you want her to know her status, to correct the wrong done upon her by raising her as a muggle?"
"If she knows, the Order knows," he said, taking a step forward. "The last thing I want the Order to know is how powerful a weapon they have in their midst."
"A weapon?" Draco asked. "How is she a weapon?"
"She is a Le Fay," he answered, voice quiet. "That holds more power in the world than you will see in your miserable lifetime. The magic that runs through her veins changes everything. No, they cannot know what they possess until we have taken her back."
The tone with which he was talking about her sent shivers up his spine. Without conscious thought, he changed his stance ever so slightly, as if preparing for battle. It was protective.
Protective of the girl he had mercilessly teased for his entire childhood.
If Voldemort noticed the shift, he did not comment on it. "You must infiltrate the Order to complete this task. The only way to bring the Princess back is to gain her trust. You will not handle a Le Fay with force."
"The Order will never believe I'm a turncoat," Draco said, thinking about the reaction he'd get showing up on their doorstep. "They'll kill me before I even get in the same room as her."
An evil glint flitted through his eyes. "Not if we give them a reason to doubt." He looked over at Lucius and flicked his fingers at Draco.
His father took a few steps forward and raised his wand. Draco barely had time to blink before he was knocked unconscious.
"Wake up, love," a voice whispered in her ear.
She blinked her way back into consciousness. Curled up like a kitten under a blanket, she opened her eyes to meet Harry's green orbs.
"What time is it?" she asked, suddenly wide awake, looking around hers and Ginny's bedroom blindly, as if hoping the walls themselves would give her the answer she was looking for.
"About seven," Harry answered. "Molly's serving dinner and asked me to come check on you."
Hermione sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "How long have I been out?"
"Since you talked to Zabini," he said. "You left his room and came straight up here. You were passed out by the time I came to check on you."
"I was exhausted," she admitted, blinking at her best friend. "It was a long day."
Harry tilted his head, eyes searching her face for a clue of how she was feeling. Eventually, his eyes dropped to the mark on her arm.
"Are you alright?" he asked, taking her wrist softly in his hands. "After what happened this morning."
She hesitated for a moment. "I'm not not alright? I guess. I don't know." She glared at the willow tree. "I just wish I knew what it was. I can't stand not knowing."
Harry smirked, his tired eyes dancing for a moment. "The Great Hermione Granger not knowing something? It's a national travesty."
She swatted him and then sighed. "I don't understand why they retreated. It's just a tattoo."
Harry pursed his lips. "Marks on arms aren't nothing, you know that."
A silence filled the room.
Hermione bit her lip. "I didn't ask for this."
Harry wrapped his arm around her waist and stood her up. "I know. Don't worry. We'll figure out what it is."
As they walked out the door and downstairs, Hermione eyed him. "Don't you think we have more important things to find?"
Harry shot her a warning glance as they were approaching the kitchen. "I think this is a discussion to be had later."
Hermione sighed. He had been dodging talking about Horcruxes for a while now. It had been nearly a year since they had found the last one. They were hardly even actively looking. They were too focused on the attacks and raids.
But they could end it all if they only found the remaining ones.
They entered the kitchen. Everyone was sitting around the table, subdued for once. At their entrance, all eyes turned to her. She noticed that Blaise Zabini was sitting on the right side. She made a beeline straight for him. At her choice of place, she saw Seamus visibly tense.
She took her seat quietly, trying to avoid the gazes burning into her skin.
"You alright, Granger?" Zabini asked under his breath.
"Why are you down here?" she shot back.
"Your Werewolf Leader came and questioned me after you did. Determined that I was a non-combatant who was leaning to this side. Apparently that means I'm safe enough to eat with."
She nodded her understanding. Around her, the table remained tense. Trying to ignore it, she reached forward and grabbed a chicken leg and bread roll. Nibbling on it, she allowed her eyes to drift around the table for the first time.
Everyone's eyes were on her. Lupin was at the end of the table, eyes focused in concentration. His lips were pursed in thought. He had the same look she had when she was trying to figure something out. She could nearly see his brain whirling around, trying to solve the problem in front of him.
She was the problem.
After a few more moments, Fred broke the silence. "At least we know what to do in battles from now on. Show them Hermione's arm, and they'll back off, no questions asked."
His joke broke the tension a bit. Hermione managed a weak smile in his direction.
Lupin frowned. "It seems unrealistic that her mark would scare all Death Eaters. Something of that magnitude, we would've heard about before now."
Tonks was at his side, with her hand on his arm. "It must've held significance to that Death Eater and that one alone."
"Must be big for them to call off the entire raid," Ron said, stuffing his mouth with a chicken wing.
Ginny shot him a look. "Close your mouth, Ronald."
Hermione sighed. "Can we not talk about this now?"
Arthur, who was sitting across from her, shook his head. "This is something we must understand, Hermione."
"The world has not stopped spinning because the Sacred God of Willow Trees decided to bless me," Hermione snapped, her eyes flashing. She looked at everyone. "There is still a war going on. People are getting killed at all moments. We cannot focus on me. There are much more important things."
"You're important," Seamus said quietly. Hermione sighed at his statement, while Fred winked at her.
Lupin cut in. "It's more than just you, Hermione. If your mark holds enough weight to cause a Death Eater to call a retreat, it might be something we can use."
There was a pause.
"I'm not something to be used," Hermione replied, coolly.
"You're a soldier," Lupin said, slight irritation undergirding his tone. "As a fighter for the light, it is your duty to use whatever powers you possess to advance our cause in this war."
"What if it's something that hurts me?" Hermione demanded. "So far this mark has done nothing but set me on fire. It feels like the Cruciatus."
"You might just not know how to use it," Lupin replied, frowning. "Maybe you can teach yourself to withstand the pain for the sake of the greater good."
Without realizing it, Hermione began to stand up.
"Don't you dare tell me to stomach the Cruciatus for your experimentation."
Lupin stood in response, leaning towards her with his palms flat on the table. "We could use you as a weapon."
"I'm not a weapon!" She exclaimed, almost yelling. "I'm a human being who will not be poked and prodded at!"
"We're in a war!" he shouted. A second later, he took a step in her direction, causing Hermione's heart to skip a beat.
Suddenly, a wave of pain rushed through her arm, crippling her. She screamed out in agony as her vision blurred. As stars danced in her vision, a voice pounded through her head.
Bring her back where she belongs .
She reached forward, trying to grab the table for support, but couldn't find it. Arms wrapped around her from behind and she thrashed. The pain in her arm was spreading from her wrist, through her torso, up her neck and into her head.
Just as the burn reached a crescendo, it ended as suddenly as it had come.
Hermione came down slowly, eyes blinking back to consciousness. Tears were blurring her vision. The rest of the table was standing, everyone eyeing her with worry, and some of them with outright fear.
She realized the arms wrapped around her were Harry's. She leaned back into him, knowing he'd stop her shaking legs from collapsing on her.
"Hermione," he whispered in her ear.
She held back a sob, and turned her gaze to Lupin, who was standing rooted to the spot where she had last seen him.
"Don't make me do this," she whispered, tears sliding down her face.
He was white as a sheet. All the blood had drained from his face.
"Merlin, Hermione," he whispered. "I hadn't realized."
She was still shaking. Harry gripped her tighter. She turned her head to thank him, but as their gazes locked, she watched his expression change into something she never thought she'd see on Harry's face, at least when it came to her.
Fear.
"Mione," he whispered. "Your eyes are green."
"What?" she whispered, unsure if she had even heard him correctly.
He nodded. His face had gone white. "Emerald green."
She shut her eyes, trying to dispel the madness. Upon opening them, Harry shook his head.
"What is happening to me?" she whispered, her voice carrying in the deathly silent kitchen. She pushed herself away from Harry, and stood without support for a moment. She still felt shaky.
"Maybe you should just go to bed," Ron suggested, his eyes full of concern.
"I just got up," she answered, looking around for inspiration. She felt hollow, like all the strength had been zapped from her. She glanced down at the mark on her wrist.
It had turned black.
She gasped at the sight. Her skin nearly looked charred.
"Bloody hell," she whispered. She traced her finger lightly across the tree. The feeling nearly sent her toppling over.
"Can we at least figure out what it is?" Seamus demanded, gesturing at her crumpling figure. "We can't have you be in pain all the time."
"Seamus is right," Arthur said, nodding at the younger man. "We cannot let you go around in this state, Hermione."
"And I cannot let the Order focus on me when there are much more important matters." She stood strong, even though she felt like she was a moment away from collapse. She shook her head. "Just eat your food. You're going to need the energy."
Without looking at anyone else, she turned on her heel and left.
She made her way up the staircases of Grimmauld Place slowly, trying to regain some of her energy and composure. Each step was a battle, her mind against her body. A step took the force of a thousand soldiers all fighting at once.
Her room was on the third floor. By the time she had made her way to the second floor landing, she collapsed on herself. Her legs lost the ability to hold her up, and she went down. She caught herself before she hit the floor. She lowered her body the rest of the way, until she was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest.
Merlin, what was happening to her? She leaned her head back against the wall, taking deep breaths and trying to calm her racing heartbeat. A cold sweat appeared on her face. She felt nauseous, clammy, and altogether weak.
She wasn't used to feeling weak.
She lifted her arm to be able to examine the mark more clearly. It was as black as ever. She looked it over. There were no distinguishing features. It was just a willow tree.
She thought about the willow tree her mother had planted in their garden when she had turned five.
Her beautiful, dead mother.
Helen Granger had picked up her daughter and rested her on her hip, just after planting the baby tree in the backyard.
"What type of tree is it mama?" Hermione had asked, looking into her mother's large green eyes.
"It's a willow tree, my darling," her mother responded softly. "Do you see how the leaves hang down from the top?"
The little girl nodded, looking at the pretty tree. She frowned. "It looks like it is crying."
Her mother nodded. "That's because it is, my little one."
"Why is the tree sad?" Hermione asked, her voice confused. She had never seen sadness in something inhuman.
Her mother sighed. "It's sad because the world is a difficult place to live in. Life isn't always easy. But the willow stands tall, do you see it? It may be crying, but it's still standing. That's important. The winds may push that tree around, trying to control it and order it around, but it stays standing."
"The willow tree never breaks, Hermione. It bends, at most. It knows the world is hard, so it cries, but at the end of the day, it survives."
Willow trees survive.
She felt tears spring at the corners of her eyes. What was she doing? Sitting there, waiting for someone to come find her. Waiting for someone to figure it out. Waiting for someone to come save her.
She narrowed her now green eyes. No one saves her but herself.
She forced herself onto her two feet, and with determination, walked back down to the second floor. Taking a left, she opened the first door and entered the small library in the former Black estate.
She took a book off the shelf and began to research the mark that was quickly changing her entire existence.
That was how Ron and Harry found her a few hours later.
"'Mione?" the Chosen One asked, poking his head through the library door. He saw her immediately. "There you are."
She heard Ron's voice from behind. "If you can't find Hermione Granger in a library, you've lost her forever."
She sighed. "Hey guys." She flipped a page in the book.
They slipped into the room, closing, locking, and silencing the door behind them. They took two seats across from her at the table she was occupying.
"Are you feeling any better?" Harry asked, the concern in his eyes making her smile.
"A little bit," she replied. "I thought I'd do some research."
"Found anything?" Ron quipped.
She shook her head. "I went through volumes one and two of Magical Symbols and their Origins , but nothing about willow trees."
Harry pushed his glasses back up his nose. "We'll find something, we always do."
She let her eyes drift up to meet his. "I guess we match now."
His green eyes crinkled. "I guess so."
She cast her eyes back down. The change made her incredibly uncomfortable. She had always liked her brown eyes. They matched her dad's chocolate orbs. It had been her mother with the emeralds.
She shook off the discomfort. "Can we talk about Horcruxes, now?"
Harry and Ron glanced at each other so fleetingly that she nearly missed it.
Nearly.
She narrowed her eyes. "Anything you want to tell me?"
They looked at each other again and exchanged a look Hermione couldn't quite decipher. Harry ended up being the one to turn to her.
He was hesitating. "Well, Hermione, Ron and I were talking about it recently…"
She raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
She could visibly see his heart rate speed up. "And we decided that it's time for us to go out and find the Horcruxes. We've been so occupied these past few years with raids and battles that we've forgotten what Dumbledore wanted us to do in the first place. We need to find the final pieces."
"Finally!" she cried. "I've been telling you two this for years. If we find the Horcruxes, then we have the tools to take him down. This war will not end until we get the cup, the snake, and whatever he managed to find of Ravenclaw's."
Harry flinched. "Yes, you're completely right. So we decided we're going to leave at the beginning of next week."
She thought about it for a moment. "Alright. Are we going to explain to anyone that we're going, or just disappear into the night?"
There was a pause.
"No, Hermione," Harry said slowly. "We're going to leave. Me and Ron."
Her mouth fell open. "Sorry…what?"
He sighed. "You're too valuable to the Order to come traveling with us."
She was flabbergasted. "It's not travelling, Harry, it's hunting for pieces of Voldemort's soul."
"There's no certainty in it," he replied. "Who knows if we're going to spend five months camping or find them in two days? You are integral to the missions and raids. There's a reason you are always the team leader if we don't have an Auror."
She blinked rapidly. "I can't believe you two are considering leaving me behind. It's been the three of us since the beginning."
He rubbed the crease between his eyes. "We aren't leaving you behind. We're leaving you where you are most needed."
"So you don't need me?" she snapped. "May I remind you of all the times I have saved your asses since year one?"
Ron frowned. "We aren't teenagers anymore. This isn't about copying a Potions essay. This is real life. We can handle ourselves."
"Do you really believe that?" she snarled, getting angrier by the second. "You two can't do this without me!"
"Yes we can, and we will," Harry said, his conviction momentarily silencing her. "Besides, with that mark on your arm, we don't know if you'd even be able to keep up…"
"Are you calling me a liability?" Her voice was suddenly deathly quiet.
Harry hesitated before responding. "Uncertainty is a liability."
"Uncertainty is an opportunity."
Ron narrowed his eyes. "That's what Lupin said at dinner, and I seem to recall you not agreeing."
"Lupin was suggesting that we put me through exceptional pain in order to mold me into a weapon," she reminded him, glaring. "That's different than discovering that there may be power in this mark. There's a difference. My choice is the difference."
"'Mione, we can't risk it," Harry said. "At least if you're here, you'll have others around you if something goes wrong. You'll be able to do research, figure out what's wrong with you…"
She finally snapped. She slammed the book shut and stood up. "Nothing is wrong with me, Harry Potter," she hissed. "Besides the fact that I have backstabbing friends. This was our mission, Harry. All of us. We've all been here from the beginning. You're taking Ron for the same reason that you rescued him from the lake and not me during the Triwizard Tournament. Do not do me the disservice of pretending it's for my own sake."
She walked towards the door. Right before exiting, she turned back.
"Constant vigilance," she snarled as her parting words. She didn't wait around to see their reactions. She was already out the door and up the stairs before they realized what she had said.
Her heart was hammering, and her eyes were filled with angry tears. Pure rage propelled her forward. Without thinking about it at all, she marched up to Seamus's door, to the room he used to share with Dean. She knocked on it forcefully.
A few moments later, the Irishman opened the door. He visibly sighed in relief. "Hermione, I was worried about you…"
"I don't care," she said stoutly before pushing him forward until he was sitting on the edge of his bed. She turned and waved her hand, closing the door, locking it, and silencing the room.
Seamus gawked. "Have you always been able to do wandless magic?"
She barely heard him. "Please shut up," she muttered, before straddling his waist. His eyes darkened considerably at her action.
"Gladly," he murmured, before pulling her down on top of him.
She hardly noticed that her mark was still prickling.
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