Hermione and Draco both studied the Head's Rooms. The Library was a
magnificent, and up the center of the room in the back to the right of
where they came in was a set of Gold and Silver carpeted stairs. Glancing
at each other, the two walked up the stairs slowly and opened the doors
labeled "Head Girl" and "Head Boy" Inside were a magnificent twist of each
person's dreams. There were murals across all four walls of each huge,
spacious room, and the ceiling was enchanted, much like that of the Great
Hall's, to show the sky. Hermione shrieked with happiness as she poked the
comfortable, adjustable air mattress. She smiled and lowered herself into
it for a few moments. Groaning as she forced herself out of it, she drew
her wand and...with a swish and flick...unpacked.
She picked up a magazine and walked downstairs to sit in the Common Room that she and Draco would share with Ron, Lavender, Harry, and Ginny. She sank into the green couch and read as, one by one, her friends joined her. She grinned as Draco walked in and sat by her. She'd changed into a pair of green silk pajama pants and a green tank top. She was wearing white socks, and she'd swiped Draco's blanket and cuddled up under it. Harry and Ron sank into the other two couches with their girls and looked at her.
"Wonder when Voldemort's going to make his next move..." Harry pondered softly, making Ginny, Lavender, and Ron wince. "It'll have to be fairly soon for all of the DeathEater activity that Professor Snape's been reporting..." He looked at Hermione. "What do you think, Herms? Do you think we'll be able to kill him?"
Hermione looked up at Harry and sighed. "I don't know, Harry. There's so much at stake either way. Nobody's making any moves against him because they have too much to lose...and there's so much security out in our world that they hardly dare to attack...I don't know what to say about it." She smiled up at Draco as he sat down, and then she scooted closer to him, leaning against his broad chest.
"So...Herms...Does this mean that you and Draco are...a couple?" Lavender asked, still not quite willing to believe that he'd changed...after all, his ex-best friend had killed all of the women in their class...save for them. Blaise Zambini had never been trustworthy...but when Draco had transferred to Durmstrang, he'd been unbearable...and one by one the group's friends had died.
Hermione looked up at Draco, her eyes asking a silent question. His eyes answered her, without a doubt, and she looked at the others and nodded. "Yeah...I think we are." She smiled. It was the first time she'd ever spoken such words aloud...always before everyone else had known before she had that she was with a guy...and she'd always heard from either Ginny, Lavender, or Parvati who was going to ask her out next.
Draco slid an arm around Hermione's shoulder and rested his chin on the top of her head. He sighed softly and rubbed her side. "I heard what you were talking about when I came down. Mya's right, really...it's one hell of a stale-mate and nobody's going anywhere fast. Voldemort's wary of Dumbledore, and Dumbledore'd be a fool not to watch out for Voldemort...Voldemort had one of his strongest supporters killed because of a simple mishap...even though he could have easily just put the imperius curse back on Father. He won't hesitate to kill anyone."
Hearing the sad note in Draco's voice, Hermione gave his hand a squeeze. "Don't do anything foolish, Harry. We know that Voldemort killed your parents...but we also know that Pettigrew gave them away. Pick your battles, friend...don't let anger rule you."
Draco nodded. "Only fight a fight you know you can win, Harry. If you have a choice to run, run. If you have to go down, go down fighting. That's what my father taught me when he was under the imperius curse. That's the reason I have this." He lifted up his left sleeve to show the dark mark. "I couldn't beat them all...and if I objected any longer they'd have put me under the imperius curse. I'm lucky they didn't anyway..." His voice filled with pain. "I had to kill two muggles for that...two muggles that I wish I hadn't..."
Hermione nodded her understanding. She'd known from the start which DeathEater had killed her parents and why. She couldn't find it in her heart to hate anyone but Voldemort for their death, however, and she said so. "It's not your fault. The only one I ever will hate is Voldemort. We'll kick his ass one of these days...we just have to have hope." She sternly looked up at Draco, and he gathered strength from the calm gentleness in her eyes.
"She's right." Harry said. "We'll never give up. Even if we have to go into hiding...we'll kill Voldemort." He put out a hand on impulse and, on the same impulse, the other five put out their hands as well.
"Very good..." A calm, wise voice came from the shadows. "I can trust you all, I see." The six turned to see Dumbledore standing in the portrait-hole to the Common Room. "The rings I will now give you will hold enough power to hide you should you need it...and to keep you all together. Even if Hogwarts was to fall, he won't get these six powerful rings..."
Draco gasped. "The rings of the elements! But there are only six of us..." His arm tightened around Hermione.
"Indeed...but the other two of your number will join you soon." Dumbledore assured them. "Now...When I walk to you...put your hand over this box," He held up an ancient box that, the Seventh Years knew, held the Rings of the Elements. "Your element will ring out to you. When you find out...take the ring that beckons you, and slide it onto your right ring finger. These rings have been calling out for eight more guardians since your fourth year...but I wanted you all to come together of your own will first. Now...I don't know who the other two of your number are...so I'll leave that up to the six of you to find out."
He walked to Hermione first. She held her hand out over the box, palm down, and a jolt of lightning jumped from an amber-stoned ring to her hand. She lifted the ring and put it on. Dumbledore then moved to Draco, who put his hand out, palm down. His eyes widened as a flash of ice and water moved from his hand to the sapphire ring. He put it on, quietly and Dumbledore moved on. Ron was next...and he jerked as a flash of fire appeared. Taking the ruby ring, he put it on, looking quite shaken. Lavender followed Ron, and a shadow jumped from her hand to the box. She slowly took the alexandrite ring. After Lavender came Harry, who was chosen by the light element, and took the Peridot ring. Last came Ginny, who accepted the aquamarine ring...for air. All that was left were the Earth (Topaz) and Forest (Shamrock Spinel) rings.
"Now...the six of you are the guardians of Storm, Water/Ice, Fire, Air, Light, and Dark elements. Your powers will only be complete when you find the Earth and Forest guardians...but do not worry on that. All of you have a large cat animagus that corresponds to your element. For example: Mountain Lion for Storms, White tiger for Water, Tiger for Fire, Cheetah for air, Bobcat for Light, and the Black Panther for Dark. The other two are the Lion for Earth and the Jaguar for Forest. Any questions?" Dumbledore asked. "No? Good. I'll leave you now to get settled in."
She picked up a magazine and walked downstairs to sit in the Common Room that she and Draco would share with Ron, Lavender, Harry, and Ginny. She sank into the green couch and read as, one by one, her friends joined her. She grinned as Draco walked in and sat by her. She'd changed into a pair of green silk pajama pants and a green tank top. She was wearing white socks, and she'd swiped Draco's blanket and cuddled up under it. Harry and Ron sank into the other two couches with their girls and looked at her.
"Wonder when Voldemort's going to make his next move..." Harry pondered softly, making Ginny, Lavender, and Ron wince. "It'll have to be fairly soon for all of the DeathEater activity that Professor Snape's been reporting..." He looked at Hermione. "What do you think, Herms? Do you think we'll be able to kill him?"
Hermione looked up at Harry and sighed. "I don't know, Harry. There's so much at stake either way. Nobody's making any moves against him because they have too much to lose...and there's so much security out in our world that they hardly dare to attack...I don't know what to say about it." She smiled up at Draco as he sat down, and then she scooted closer to him, leaning against his broad chest.
"So...Herms...Does this mean that you and Draco are...a couple?" Lavender asked, still not quite willing to believe that he'd changed...after all, his ex-best friend had killed all of the women in their class...save for them. Blaise Zambini had never been trustworthy...but when Draco had transferred to Durmstrang, he'd been unbearable...and one by one the group's friends had died.
Hermione looked up at Draco, her eyes asking a silent question. His eyes answered her, without a doubt, and she looked at the others and nodded. "Yeah...I think we are." She smiled. It was the first time she'd ever spoken such words aloud...always before everyone else had known before she had that she was with a guy...and she'd always heard from either Ginny, Lavender, or Parvati who was going to ask her out next.
Draco slid an arm around Hermione's shoulder and rested his chin on the top of her head. He sighed softly and rubbed her side. "I heard what you were talking about when I came down. Mya's right, really...it's one hell of a stale-mate and nobody's going anywhere fast. Voldemort's wary of Dumbledore, and Dumbledore'd be a fool not to watch out for Voldemort...Voldemort had one of his strongest supporters killed because of a simple mishap...even though he could have easily just put the imperius curse back on Father. He won't hesitate to kill anyone."
Hearing the sad note in Draco's voice, Hermione gave his hand a squeeze. "Don't do anything foolish, Harry. We know that Voldemort killed your parents...but we also know that Pettigrew gave them away. Pick your battles, friend...don't let anger rule you."
Draco nodded. "Only fight a fight you know you can win, Harry. If you have a choice to run, run. If you have to go down, go down fighting. That's what my father taught me when he was under the imperius curse. That's the reason I have this." He lifted up his left sleeve to show the dark mark. "I couldn't beat them all...and if I objected any longer they'd have put me under the imperius curse. I'm lucky they didn't anyway..." His voice filled with pain. "I had to kill two muggles for that...two muggles that I wish I hadn't..."
Hermione nodded her understanding. She'd known from the start which DeathEater had killed her parents and why. She couldn't find it in her heart to hate anyone but Voldemort for their death, however, and she said so. "It's not your fault. The only one I ever will hate is Voldemort. We'll kick his ass one of these days...we just have to have hope." She sternly looked up at Draco, and he gathered strength from the calm gentleness in her eyes.
"She's right." Harry said. "We'll never give up. Even if we have to go into hiding...we'll kill Voldemort." He put out a hand on impulse and, on the same impulse, the other five put out their hands as well.
"Very good..." A calm, wise voice came from the shadows. "I can trust you all, I see." The six turned to see Dumbledore standing in the portrait-hole to the Common Room. "The rings I will now give you will hold enough power to hide you should you need it...and to keep you all together. Even if Hogwarts was to fall, he won't get these six powerful rings..."
Draco gasped. "The rings of the elements! But there are only six of us..." His arm tightened around Hermione.
"Indeed...but the other two of your number will join you soon." Dumbledore assured them. "Now...When I walk to you...put your hand over this box," He held up an ancient box that, the Seventh Years knew, held the Rings of the Elements. "Your element will ring out to you. When you find out...take the ring that beckons you, and slide it onto your right ring finger. These rings have been calling out for eight more guardians since your fourth year...but I wanted you all to come together of your own will first. Now...I don't know who the other two of your number are...so I'll leave that up to the six of you to find out."
He walked to Hermione first. She held her hand out over the box, palm down, and a jolt of lightning jumped from an amber-stoned ring to her hand. She lifted the ring and put it on. Dumbledore then moved to Draco, who put his hand out, palm down. His eyes widened as a flash of ice and water moved from his hand to the sapphire ring. He put it on, quietly and Dumbledore moved on. Ron was next...and he jerked as a flash of fire appeared. Taking the ruby ring, he put it on, looking quite shaken. Lavender followed Ron, and a shadow jumped from her hand to the box. She slowly took the alexandrite ring. After Lavender came Harry, who was chosen by the light element, and took the Peridot ring. Last came Ginny, who accepted the aquamarine ring...for air. All that was left were the Earth (Topaz) and Forest (Shamrock Spinel) rings.
"Now...the six of you are the guardians of Storm, Water/Ice, Fire, Air, Light, and Dark elements. Your powers will only be complete when you find the Earth and Forest guardians...but do not worry on that. All of you have a large cat animagus that corresponds to your element. For example: Mountain Lion for Storms, White tiger for Water, Tiger for Fire, Cheetah for air, Bobcat for Light, and the Black Panther for Dark. The other two are the Lion for Earth and the Jaguar for Forest. Any questions?" Dumbledore asked. "No? Good. I'll leave you now to get settled in."
