Chapter Eleven- Help from a Friend
Draco trembled as he packed a small bag for his one-night trip home. He knew Hermione was watching him closely, but try as he might he could not stop his hands from shaking.
"Draco?" Hermione asked, concern for him clearly showing in her voice. "Are you sure you feel well enough to go on this trip?"
Draco had told Hermione he was feeling poorly, which he hoped explained his strange, anxious behavior all week.
"Of course," Draco answered. He wasn't sure if Hermione believed him; she gave him a very doubting look.
"Well, if you're sure. . ." Hermione said slowly. She in fact didn't believe him, and knew he was hiding something important. Despite her best efforts, she could not get Draco to confide in her.
"There," Draco said, finishing his packing. The two walked downstairs to the fireplace together. Draco turned to kiss Hermione good-bye, savoring the last bit of pleasure before facing the coming pain.
"Draco," Hermione said quietly. "You don't have to go; you could stay here with me."
Draco kissed her once more before staring into her eyes. "No, I have to go." With that he grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and threw it into the fire. He stepped into the green flames and turned back to Hermione. He gave her a quick half-smile before shouting "Malfoy Manor!" and disappearing.
Hermione turned away, and climbed back up the stairs to Draco's room. "Why won't he tell me what's wrong?" She thought sadly. "He was just beginning to really open up. . ." Hermione ran her fingers across Draco's chrome dresser, then spotted a discarded robe on the floor. She bent down to pick up the robe to hang in Draco's closet, but stopped when a small piece of parchment fluttered to the floor from the pocket of the robe. Hermione immediately recognized it as the crumpled note from Lucius Malfoy.
"I know I shouldn't. . ." Hermione hesitated. "But something is wrong." She grabbed the note and read it quickly.
The robe dropped from her hands.
"Oh God," she muttered hoarsely. "He knows."
At that moment, Hermione heard a knock at the portrait hole. She stared at the note once more in horror, then stuffed it in her pocket and went to answer the door, her legs shaking beneath her.
"Miss Granger!" Dobby cried as he flung himself at Hermione. "How are you, how is S.P.E.W.?"
"Dobby. . . Dobby, it's wonderful to see you, but now is really not the best time for a visit-"
"Is something wrong, Miss Granger?" Dobby asked inquiringly. His huge, green eyes stared deeply into Hermione's brown ones.
"No, no, not at all Dobby," Hermione answered quickly averting her eyes. "Please, come sit down."
As Dobby chattered away happily about this and that, Hermione's mind wandered.
"I have to get to him," she thought determinedly. "Floo Powder is too obvious, I don't want Lucius to find me. Maybe I could sneak in! But someone would have to open the gate, I don't believe the Alohomora charm would work at Malfoy Manor. . . if only a servant could open the door, but I don't know any- Dobby!"
"Yes, Miss Granger?" Dobby asked timidly, quite taken aback by this sudden burst of noise.
"Quick Dobby, do you still know how to get inside Malfoy Manor? From when you were unjustly kept as a slave?"
"Of course. The elder Malfoy has his own key, but the house-elves use their own special magic to get in-"
"Dobby, I need your help. You must come with me and let me inside Malfoy Manor today."
"Certainly, Miss Granger, but wouldn't you rather use Floo Powder?"
"No, it has to be secret. No one must know I'm there." Hermione paused, trying to remember a long forgotten fact. "Doesn't Vincent Crabbe live near there? We'll use Floo Powder to get into his house, then walk to Malfoy Manor. You're sure you'll be able to let me in?"
"Very sure, Miss Granger."
"Good, then let's go!" Hermione grabbed Dobby's arm, then threw some Floo Powder into the fire. She jumped in, accidentally dragging Dobby across the ashes in her haste. She opened her mouth to yell her destination, but realized she didn't know the name of Crabbe's house. She looked frantically at Dobby, afraid to speak, but luckily Dobby sensed her question and shouted "Crabbe Hall!"
Hermione was so concerned about Draco, she barely noticed the jolting ride. "That's why he was acting so strangely," she thought to herself. "I should have pried more, I should have made him tell me what was wrong. I could have stopped him. What if he's hurt now? What am I going to do once I'm inside?" Right then Hermione and Dobby were thrown from the fire into a dark, dank room inside Crabbe Hall. They stood and dusted themselves off before admiring the Gothic-inspired furniture. Hermione gazed around only for a moment before grabbing Dobby's arm and leading him out into the hall. She searched down the hall for a staircase leading to the main floor, and finally found it at the very end, near a grimy window. Hermione bolted down the stairs, followed by Dobby. "We should find the back door," Hermione thought quickly. She figured the back door would be located in the kitchen, and luckily the kitchen was much easier to find than the stairs.
"Dobby, you go in first to make sure it is only house-elves in the kitchen. Whistle if it's clear, and I'll come in. We need to leave through the back door."
"Right," Dobby whispered. "Miss Granger, do you mind me asking what exactly we're doing? Why are we trying to sneak into Malfoy Manor?"
Hermione was not interested in explaining her secret love life to Dobby right then, so she made up a quick excuse.
"Secret S.P.E.W. work," she replied. "Very classified, don't tell anybody. Now go!"
Dobby nodded very importantly and crept into kitchen. Hermione impatiently waited until she heard a low whistle, then raced into the kitchen. She stopped in her tracks at the staggering number of house-elves staring at her.
"One day I will free you all, but right now I must go! Come on Dobby, there's no time to waste!"
Hermione ran out the back door, and shut it soundly once Dobby got out.
"Now Dobby, how do you get to Malfoy Manor from here?"
"Going on the main road would be no good, that would only lead us to the front gate. We have to go through this little forest here along the path, that will lead us right to the back gate."
Hermione looked uneasily into the dark woods. Dobby chuckled. "Don't worry, Miss Granger, it's perfectly safe. We'll be there in no time."
Hermione took a deep breath and led the way along the path. The woods were very dark, even in the daytime, but Hermione distracted herself by telling Dobby he needed to stay with the house-elves while she took care of some top secret business.
"When we get there, Dobby, you must tell the house-elves all about S.P.E.W. while I find Lucius. Once we're inside the kitchen, how do I get to his office?"
"Simple, Miss Granger. You go up the stairs to the right of the kitchen, then turn left. His office is the second door on the right. Ah, here we are."
Hermione gasped slightly as she stopped at the end of the path. The size of Malfoy Manor was impressive; it loomed in front of her like a stony tidal wave. The back gate was right in front of her, and she turned to Dobby.
"Can you open the gate, Dobby?"
Dobby smiled. "It already is."
Sure enough, Hermione easily pushed the gate doors open and stepped onto the grounds. "How did you do that, Dobby?"
"House-elves have their own kind of magic, Miss Granger. We need neither wands nor words."
Hermione grinned, then remembered why she was there. She crept quickly across the grounds, wishing she had thought to borrow Harry's Invisibility Cloak. She reached the back door and pushed it open quietly, knowing Dobby had already used his special magic to unlock it. The door creaked slightly, but Hermione pushed farther and stepped inside Malfoy Manor.
Draco trembled as he packed a small bag for his one-night trip home. He knew Hermione was watching him closely, but try as he might he could not stop his hands from shaking.
"Draco?" Hermione asked, concern for him clearly showing in her voice. "Are you sure you feel well enough to go on this trip?"
Draco had told Hermione he was feeling poorly, which he hoped explained his strange, anxious behavior all week.
"Of course," Draco answered. He wasn't sure if Hermione believed him; she gave him a very doubting look.
"Well, if you're sure. . ." Hermione said slowly. She in fact didn't believe him, and knew he was hiding something important. Despite her best efforts, she could not get Draco to confide in her.
"There," Draco said, finishing his packing. The two walked downstairs to the fireplace together. Draco turned to kiss Hermione good-bye, savoring the last bit of pleasure before facing the coming pain.
"Draco," Hermione said quietly. "You don't have to go; you could stay here with me."
Draco kissed her once more before staring into her eyes. "No, I have to go." With that he grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and threw it into the fire. He stepped into the green flames and turned back to Hermione. He gave her a quick half-smile before shouting "Malfoy Manor!" and disappearing.
Hermione turned away, and climbed back up the stairs to Draco's room. "Why won't he tell me what's wrong?" She thought sadly. "He was just beginning to really open up. . ." Hermione ran her fingers across Draco's chrome dresser, then spotted a discarded robe on the floor. She bent down to pick up the robe to hang in Draco's closet, but stopped when a small piece of parchment fluttered to the floor from the pocket of the robe. Hermione immediately recognized it as the crumpled note from Lucius Malfoy.
"I know I shouldn't. . ." Hermione hesitated. "But something is wrong." She grabbed the note and read it quickly.
The robe dropped from her hands.
"Oh God," she muttered hoarsely. "He knows."
At that moment, Hermione heard a knock at the portrait hole. She stared at the note once more in horror, then stuffed it in her pocket and went to answer the door, her legs shaking beneath her.
"Miss Granger!" Dobby cried as he flung himself at Hermione. "How are you, how is S.P.E.W.?"
"Dobby. . . Dobby, it's wonderful to see you, but now is really not the best time for a visit-"
"Is something wrong, Miss Granger?" Dobby asked inquiringly. His huge, green eyes stared deeply into Hermione's brown ones.
"No, no, not at all Dobby," Hermione answered quickly averting her eyes. "Please, come sit down."
As Dobby chattered away happily about this and that, Hermione's mind wandered.
"I have to get to him," she thought determinedly. "Floo Powder is too obvious, I don't want Lucius to find me. Maybe I could sneak in! But someone would have to open the gate, I don't believe the Alohomora charm would work at Malfoy Manor. . . if only a servant could open the door, but I don't know any- Dobby!"
"Yes, Miss Granger?" Dobby asked timidly, quite taken aback by this sudden burst of noise.
"Quick Dobby, do you still know how to get inside Malfoy Manor? From when you were unjustly kept as a slave?"
"Of course. The elder Malfoy has his own key, but the house-elves use their own special magic to get in-"
"Dobby, I need your help. You must come with me and let me inside Malfoy Manor today."
"Certainly, Miss Granger, but wouldn't you rather use Floo Powder?"
"No, it has to be secret. No one must know I'm there." Hermione paused, trying to remember a long forgotten fact. "Doesn't Vincent Crabbe live near there? We'll use Floo Powder to get into his house, then walk to Malfoy Manor. You're sure you'll be able to let me in?"
"Very sure, Miss Granger."
"Good, then let's go!" Hermione grabbed Dobby's arm, then threw some Floo Powder into the fire. She jumped in, accidentally dragging Dobby across the ashes in her haste. She opened her mouth to yell her destination, but realized she didn't know the name of Crabbe's house. She looked frantically at Dobby, afraid to speak, but luckily Dobby sensed her question and shouted "Crabbe Hall!"
Hermione was so concerned about Draco, she barely noticed the jolting ride. "That's why he was acting so strangely," she thought to herself. "I should have pried more, I should have made him tell me what was wrong. I could have stopped him. What if he's hurt now? What am I going to do once I'm inside?" Right then Hermione and Dobby were thrown from the fire into a dark, dank room inside Crabbe Hall. They stood and dusted themselves off before admiring the Gothic-inspired furniture. Hermione gazed around only for a moment before grabbing Dobby's arm and leading him out into the hall. She searched down the hall for a staircase leading to the main floor, and finally found it at the very end, near a grimy window. Hermione bolted down the stairs, followed by Dobby. "We should find the back door," Hermione thought quickly. She figured the back door would be located in the kitchen, and luckily the kitchen was much easier to find than the stairs.
"Dobby, you go in first to make sure it is only house-elves in the kitchen. Whistle if it's clear, and I'll come in. We need to leave through the back door."
"Right," Dobby whispered. "Miss Granger, do you mind me asking what exactly we're doing? Why are we trying to sneak into Malfoy Manor?"
Hermione was not interested in explaining her secret love life to Dobby right then, so she made up a quick excuse.
"Secret S.P.E.W. work," she replied. "Very classified, don't tell anybody. Now go!"
Dobby nodded very importantly and crept into kitchen. Hermione impatiently waited until she heard a low whistle, then raced into the kitchen. She stopped in her tracks at the staggering number of house-elves staring at her.
"One day I will free you all, but right now I must go! Come on Dobby, there's no time to waste!"
Hermione ran out the back door, and shut it soundly once Dobby got out.
"Now Dobby, how do you get to Malfoy Manor from here?"
"Going on the main road would be no good, that would only lead us to the front gate. We have to go through this little forest here along the path, that will lead us right to the back gate."
Hermione looked uneasily into the dark woods. Dobby chuckled. "Don't worry, Miss Granger, it's perfectly safe. We'll be there in no time."
Hermione took a deep breath and led the way along the path. The woods were very dark, even in the daytime, but Hermione distracted herself by telling Dobby he needed to stay with the house-elves while she took care of some top secret business.
"When we get there, Dobby, you must tell the house-elves all about S.P.E.W. while I find Lucius. Once we're inside the kitchen, how do I get to his office?"
"Simple, Miss Granger. You go up the stairs to the right of the kitchen, then turn left. His office is the second door on the right. Ah, here we are."
Hermione gasped slightly as she stopped at the end of the path. The size of Malfoy Manor was impressive; it loomed in front of her like a stony tidal wave. The back gate was right in front of her, and she turned to Dobby.
"Can you open the gate, Dobby?"
Dobby smiled. "It already is."
Sure enough, Hermione easily pushed the gate doors open and stepped onto the grounds. "How did you do that, Dobby?"
"House-elves have their own kind of magic, Miss Granger. We need neither wands nor words."
Hermione grinned, then remembered why she was there. She crept quickly across the grounds, wishing she had thought to borrow Harry's Invisibility Cloak. She reached the back door and pushed it open quietly, knowing Dobby had already used his special magic to unlock it. The door creaked slightly, but Hermione pushed farther and stepped inside Malfoy Manor.