Hermione sat idly spooning her mashed potatoes around her plate. She was by
herself at the end of the Gryffindor table. The other students were giving
her some space and she was greatly appreciative. She wasn't ready to
integrate into the throng of happy laughing students. Hermione hardly
noticed that the owl post came in until she felt claws clamp on her
shoulder. A huge black barn owl hopped off her arm and on to the table. In
one glance she took in the sheen of it's ebony feathers, the glimmer of
it's haughty beak, the sparkly of it's beady eyes, and a rather a large M
hung about it's neck. The ominous bird dropped a note on her plate and
stood as if waiting for a reply.
"Meet me at 10 o'clock by the statue of Vladimir the Vicious. There is something I want to show you."
Hermione searched her mind for a moment. Then she looked up and it all clicked. Who would want to show her something? Who did she have left at Hogwarts who would send her an owl and expect her to know who it was from? Who's last name started with an M? Who was looking at her right now?
Draco caught her eye and smiled. Not a sneer, smirk or grimace. A grin, his dimples shone through and his eyes twinkled. The little lines in his forehead crinkled up and he looked truly happy. He winked at her and changed his grin to a sneer and went on chatting with Pansy. Hermione picked up her quill and ripped the bottom off the note Draco had sent. She penned in beautiful turquoise ink and a measured hand:
"See you there. You know we could get in a lot of trouble for this."
The owl clenched the note in his beak and Hermione stood up from the table and went up to her common room.
The clock downstairs struck 9:30 and Hermione grabbed Harry's old Invisibility Cloak and eased her way down the stairs. She had left some pillows and a nightgown in her bed, just in case Parvati peeked in on her. She leaned in an out of the way corner by the portrait hole and waited for someone to come in so she could get out. That someone was Neville Longbottom, though he was sixteen years old too now, he had never lost his chubby face and clumsy manner. He was a good deal taller and cuter this year, Hermione noticed that as did Lavender who fancied Neville a little. As Neville stumbled through the door Hermione slipped out before it slammed shut.
Hermione crept down the hall, skulked down the stairs and dodged Peeves by the stairs to the dungeons.
"I smell little ittle students wudents. Must tell Filch, yes I must. I can't see you but I know you're there you slimy kid." Peeves cackled.
Hermione held her breath. She felt a whoosh of cold air and heard something glide up behind her.
"Peeves. You know better than to hang around my dungeons. If you hassle any more of my Slytherin's ..." Gasped the bloody Baron, the silver bloodstains stood out even on his transparent pearly figure.
"Yes sir you are absolutely right, won't happen again." Peeves said in a brown-nosy manner.
The baron glided back downstairs. Hermione thought he was gone. She crept down a few stairs. Yet again she felt the fleeting cold behind her.
"Gryffindor I know you are there." Whispered the Bloody Baron.
"How?" Hermione said with out thinking. She clamped her hand over her mouth.
"Take off that cloak and I will tell you."
Hermione slid the cloak off her head and smoothed her beautiful curly chestnut hair.
"A certain young Slytherin gentleman, who happens to be very dear to me said that a beautiful Gryffindor lady would be down tonight and asked me to escort you to the corridor of Vladimir the Vicious, but no further. I knew Peeves would be prowling the stairs so I went to meet you." The Bloody Baron said almost cheerfully for a ghost.
"I thought you didn't like the students." Hermione said with a shudder in her voice.
"Even the scariest of us need to keep up our reputations now don't we." The Baron said with a chuckle. "Here we are, Vladimir the Vicious, If you ever help in the dungeons, or with Peeves, or with anything for that matter, just call on the Bloody Baron."
"Thanks." Hermione stuttered, dumfounded she walked almost drunkenly down the dark passage until the looming shape of Vladimir the Vicious stood on her left. She looked on both sides of the statue for Draco then she felt hands on her waist and heard a drawl in her ear:
"Took you long enough." He took her by the hand and led her further down the corridor, until they reached a dead end. Hermione was confused. She had seen the Marauder's Map and there was nothing down this way. Draco took out his wand and tapped the wall to his right just as she voiced this concern.
"Hey , Gryffindors don't know everything doncha know." Draco retorted slyly.
"Whatever." Hermione said rather sheepishly.
Draco pushed the door open, stepped inside and clapped his hands twice. Torches flashed into flames and the fireplace roared into life. Hermione gasped set into the cold stone walls were row up on row of bookshelves. The room was twice the size of Snape's dungeon and even colder. Even thought the fire blazed cheerily, Hermione shivered.
"Well I didn't bring you down here just to see the Slytherin Library. Any Slytherin is allowed to be in this room at any hour of the day or night so we'll have plenty of time to talk." Draco said his pale face becoming more and more translucent. His voice faltered.
"Ok. So what do we need to talk about." Hermione said unsure of what was happening.
"Well... Dumbledore wants me to tell you something. It will be easier if I tell you all at once then you can ask questions. Ok?"
Hermione nodded and Draco continued.
"I know who killed Harry, Ron, Seamus, Colin, and all the rest. I'm not allowed to give you names. It was a Death Eater. I told Dumbledore what I knew and he went to Fudge. That bastard said that there wasn't enough information to convict them." Draco said shaking.
"There isn't anything I can do now. They know that I ratted. I did it for Harry. I was jealous of him for his whole life. Now he's dead and there is nothing I can do about it." Draco buried is face in his hands and wept silently.
Hermione sat in shock. Slowly she stood up and went over and knelt by Draco, putting her arms around his neck. He looked up at her. There was pain in his eyes that told her there was more.
"Tell the rest of the story." Hermione whispered.
"Ok." Draco sniffled a little. Regaining his composure he spoke. "I don't just know who killed him, I helped them find him. I had booked the Quidditch field for that morning, but when I heard that Harry wanted to practice I backed out, I said that the Gryffindors probably needed more practice to be any competition anyway. I told the Death Eaters that he would be there. I thought he would get away like usual and I could claim my fame by helping the Death Eaters silently. I didn't know he would die." Draco was reduced to tears again.
"I am a murderer." Draco said. "Please forgive me. You're the only one left who can."
Hermione looked into his eyes weighing her choice. What would Harry want? He couldn't tell her because Draco had taken his life in cold blood. Not only Harry, but Ron sweet innocent Ron. The only thing Hermione could see were the cold glassy eyes open to heaven.
"Meet me at 10 o'clock by the statue of Vladimir the Vicious. There is something I want to show you."
Hermione searched her mind for a moment. Then she looked up and it all clicked. Who would want to show her something? Who did she have left at Hogwarts who would send her an owl and expect her to know who it was from? Who's last name started with an M? Who was looking at her right now?
Draco caught her eye and smiled. Not a sneer, smirk or grimace. A grin, his dimples shone through and his eyes twinkled. The little lines in his forehead crinkled up and he looked truly happy. He winked at her and changed his grin to a sneer and went on chatting with Pansy. Hermione picked up her quill and ripped the bottom off the note Draco had sent. She penned in beautiful turquoise ink and a measured hand:
"See you there. You know we could get in a lot of trouble for this."
The owl clenched the note in his beak and Hermione stood up from the table and went up to her common room.
The clock downstairs struck 9:30 and Hermione grabbed Harry's old Invisibility Cloak and eased her way down the stairs. She had left some pillows and a nightgown in her bed, just in case Parvati peeked in on her. She leaned in an out of the way corner by the portrait hole and waited for someone to come in so she could get out. That someone was Neville Longbottom, though he was sixteen years old too now, he had never lost his chubby face and clumsy manner. He was a good deal taller and cuter this year, Hermione noticed that as did Lavender who fancied Neville a little. As Neville stumbled through the door Hermione slipped out before it slammed shut.
Hermione crept down the hall, skulked down the stairs and dodged Peeves by the stairs to the dungeons.
"I smell little ittle students wudents. Must tell Filch, yes I must. I can't see you but I know you're there you slimy kid." Peeves cackled.
Hermione held her breath. She felt a whoosh of cold air and heard something glide up behind her.
"Peeves. You know better than to hang around my dungeons. If you hassle any more of my Slytherin's ..." Gasped the bloody Baron, the silver bloodstains stood out even on his transparent pearly figure.
"Yes sir you are absolutely right, won't happen again." Peeves said in a brown-nosy manner.
The baron glided back downstairs. Hermione thought he was gone. She crept down a few stairs. Yet again she felt the fleeting cold behind her.
"Gryffindor I know you are there." Whispered the Bloody Baron.
"How?" Hermione said with out thinking. She clamped her hand over her mouth.
"Take off that cloak and I will tell you."
Hermione slid the cloak off her head and smoothed her beautiful curly chestnut hair.
"A certain young Slytherin gentleman, who happens to be very dear to me said that a beautiful Gryffindor lady would be down tonight and asked me to escort you to the corridor of Vladimir the Vicious, but no further. I knew Peeves would be prowling the stairs so I went to meet you." The Bloody Baron said almost cheerfully for a ghost.
"I thought you didn't like the students." Hermione said with a shudder in her voice.
"Even the scariest of us need to keep up our reputations now don't we." The Baron said with a chuckle. "Here we are, Vladimir the Vicious, If you ever help in the dungeons, or with Peeves, or with anything for that matter, just call on the Bloody Baron."
"Thanks." Hermione stuttered, dumfounded she walked almost drunkenly down the dark passage until the looming shape of Vladimir the Vicious stood on her left. She looked on both sides of the statue for Draco then she felt hands on her waist and heard a drawl in her ear:
"Took you long enough." He took her by the hand and led her further down the corridor, until they reached a dead end. Hermione was confused. She had seen the Marauder's Map and there was nothing down this way. Draco took out his wand and tapped the wall to his right just as she voiced this concern.
"Hey , Gryffindors don't know everything doncha know." Draco retorted slyly.
"Whatever." Hermione said rather sheepishly.
Draco pushed the door open, stepped inside and clapped his hands twice. Torches flashed into flames and the fireplace roared into life. Hermione gasped set into the cold stone walls were row up on row of bookshelves. The room was twice the size of Snape's dungeon and even colder. Even thought the fire blazed cheerily, Hermione shivered.
"Well I didn't bring you down here just to see the Slytherin Library. Any Slytherin is allowed to be in this room at any hour of the day or night so we'll have plenty of time to talk." Draco said his pale face becoming more and more translucent. His voice faltered.
"Ok. So what do we need to talk about." Hermione said unsure of what was happening.
"Well... Dumbledore wants me to tell you something. It will be easier if I tell you all at once then you can ask questions. Ok?"
Hermione nodded and Draco continued.
"I know who killed Harry, Ron, Seamus, Colin, and all the rest. I'm not allowed to give you names. It was a Death Eater. I told Dumbledore what I knew and he went to Fudge. That bastard said that there wasn't enough information to convict them." Draco said shaking.
"There isn't anything I can do now. They know that I ratted. I did it for Harry. I was jealous of him for his whole life. Now he's dead and there is nothing I can do about it." Draco buried is face in his hands and wept silently.
Hermione sat in shock. Slowly she stood up and went over and knelt by Draco, putting her arms around his neck. He looked up at her. There was pain in his eyes that told her there was more.
"Tell the rest of the story." Hermione whispered.
"Ok." Draco sniffled a little. Regaining his composure he spoke. "I don't just know who killed him, I helped them find him. I had booked the Quidditch field for that morning, but when I heard that Harry wanted to practice I backed out, I said that the Gryffindors probably needed more practice to be any competition anyway. I told the Death Eaters that he would be there. I thought he would get away like usual and I could claim my fame by helping the Death Eaters silently. I didn't know he would die." Draco was reduced to tears again.
"I am a murderer." Draco said. "Please forgive me. You're the only one left who can."
Hermione looked into his eyes weighing her choice. What would Harry want? He couldn't tell her because Draco had taken his life in cold blood. Not only Harry, but Ron sweet innocent Ron. The only thing Hermione could see were the cold glassy eyes open to heaven.