A/N: Thank you reviewers SO much! I know the stories been dragging on a bit
up to here but I promise from now on it'll start getting interesting. BTW,
there will be tragedies, I promise.
~*~*~*~ Chapter 27: Trap ~*~*~*~
The party finished and everyone went back up to their dorms to have a good sleep. Mrs Moody had allowed their class to begin the next day later than usual because of the late night. Gryffindor relished in their victory for at least a week after the game. People still came up to Harry and congratulated him, while smirking at Draco. He had gotten over the defeat pretty well.
"Ok. Now this is your last lesson. Tomorrow night, we leave," Mrs Moody announced.
"We are going to use a portkey. Professor Snape is at the place right now, and he will make himself detectable for 5 seconds tomorrow when we will arrive. Now the members of the Order will be arriving tomorrow morning and will help prepare us. Now, there are also Aurors from the Ministry coming, so they must not find out about the Order. I ask that you do not reveal any information to anyone at all. Now, when we leave, the Aurors are going to form a circle around you. In the middle just around you guys will be the students. You and Dumbledore will be in the centre. When we arrive, the death eaters will begin their spells on us, so the outside circle will take care of that. Soon, we will make our way quickly into a house. The portkey will deliver us just outside the door. Ok, now let's begin. Today, we aren't going to train. First, I'm putting you through a test in a separate room to see how well you do. Then we are all going to do the same relaxing exercises Hilary, Harry and Draco have been practising. Ginny, I want to see you first."
Ginny followed her into a small room, while the others sat outside and waited.
In the end, they all passed perfectly. The relaxing exercise went on for about four hours and then the class was over.
"That was a good effort everyone. I want you to have a good dinner, and I want you in bed by 8.00, no questions. I am going to put you under a dreamless sleep spell, and you will wake at ten the next morning. Any questions?"
Hermione raised her hand. "Where will you be when we leave?" she asked.
"I will be on the outer circle with the other Aurors. Is that all?"
Hermione nodded.
"Ok then. You can go to dinner, Harry, Hilary, Draco. Could you come with me? Professor Dumbledore would like to share a words with you."
They looked at each other and walked out.
"See you at dinner," Harry whispered to Ron.
Hermione, Ginny and Ron went to dinner.
"Are you guys worried about tomorrow?" Ginny asked none of them in particular.
"Yeah, kind of. I'll probably be a lot worse tomorrow, but now I just have mad butterflies in my stomach," Hermione answered.
"What about you Ron?"
"Hm?" He asked. He had been stuffing his face with mashed potato.
"Oh never mind," Ginny replied angrily.
"Ron, aren't you too worried to eat?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"Well, kind of. But I imagine this fight thing will go on for about twelve hours maybe, and twelve hours without food for me is, I don't even want to go there," he said and continued eating.
Hermione rolled her eyes at Ginny and she giggled.
Just then the other three sat down beside them.
"So, what did Dumbledore want?" Ron asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just what we have to do really once we face Voldemort," Harry replied.
"Oh, ok." Ron knew not to go further into it because of what had happened last time.
They finished dinner and returned to their dorms at 6.30. Ginny, Hilary and Ron were playing Exploding Snap and Harry was having another talk with Dumbledore. Hermione and Draco were sitting outside in their garden.
"Now you know that this may be our last time in this garden, don't you?" Draco whispered while stroking Hermione's head.
"Yeah. When we get back, we might be moved straight back to the old Hogwarts and we'll never see this place again," she said softly, even though she knew what Draco was talking about. She felt moisture at the corners of her eyes and bent her head further down, blinking furiously.
"We have so many memories here," Draco said wistfully. "Want to make one more," he added huskily with a smirk. Hermione shoved him.
"Draco! Can you think of nothing else! We only have a day before we go tomorrow, and all you can think about is."
"You. I love you Hermione," he whispered. There, he'd said it.
She looked at him and grinned. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear that," and gave him the most loving kiss she could.
"What, so you don't love me?!" Draco exclaimed.
"Of course I do," she said and pulled his head down.
He pulled away. "Then why didn't you say it right away?" he asked.
"Oh, just forget it!" Hermione said angrily and stood up.
"I'm just kidding baby. Sit down. This could be our last night together."
"Don't say that. You know it's not true," she choked out.
"Mrs Moody will be at our dorms in 10 minutes. We'd better get back," he said looking at the ground.
Draco wrapped his arm around her and walked her back to the castle.
THE NEXT EVENING
"Ok, everyone calm down! Now I want you to move in an orderly fashion and arrange yourselves the way we practised this morning," Professor McGonagalls voice rang out. Everyone was standing in the Great Hall walking around finding their spots. All the other kids at the school had been sent home earlier that day so it was only them. Everyone formed a giant spiral. In the centre, Ernie Macmillan was holding Ron's hand. He was holding Ginny, who had Hermione, who had Draco, who held Hilary, who held Harry, who finally held Dumbledore, who held the portkey. The room went deadly silent.
"Ok, is everyone holding two hands?" the room chorused 'yes'.
"The portkey is due to leave in 10 minutes." McGonagall was holding onto one of the Aurors hand.
"5 minutes." She announced.
"10 seconds."
The spiral was lifted of their feet and whirled of in a vortex of sound and colour.
On the other end of the voyage of the portkey a voice said quietly to the hushed crowd.
"They have left."
~*~*~*~ Chapter 27: Trap ~*~*~*~
The party finished and everyone went back up to their dorms to have a good sleep. Mrs Moody had allowed their class to begin the next day later than usual because of the late night. Gryffindor relished in their victory for at least a week after the game. People still came up to Harry and congratulated him, while smirking at Draco. He had gotten over the defeat pretty well.
"Ok. Now this is your last lesson. Tomorrow night, we leave," Mrs Moody announced.
"We are going to use a portkey. Professor Snape is at the place right now, and he will make himself detectable for 5 seconds tomorrow when we will arrive. Now the members of the Order will be arriving tomorrow morning and will help prepare us. Now, there are also Aurors from the Ministry coming, so they must not find out about the Order. I ask that you do not reveal any information to anyone at all. Now, when we leave, the Aurors are going to form a circle around you. In the middle just around you guys will be the students. You and Dumbledore will be in the centre. When we arrive, the death eaters will begin their spells on us, so the outside circle will take care of that. Soon, we will make our way quickly into a house. The portkey will deliver us just outside the door. Ok, now let's begin. Today, we aren't going to train. First, I'm putting you through a test in a separate room to see how well you do. Then we are all going to do the same relaxing exercises Hilary, Harry and Draco have been practising. Ginny, I want to see you first."
Ginny followed her into a small room, while the others sat outside and waited.
In the end, they all passed perfectly. The relaxing exercise went on for about four hours and then the class was over.
"That was a good effort everyone. I want you to have a good dinner, and I want you in bed by 8.00, no questions. I am going to put you under a dreamless sleep spell, and you will wake at ten the next morning. Any questions?"
Hermione raised her hand. "Where will you be when we leave?" she asked.
"I will be on the outer circle with the other Aurors. Is that all?"
Hermione nodded.
"Ok then. You can go to dinner, Harry, Hilary, Draco. Could you come with me? Professor Dumbledore would like to share a words with you."
They looked at each other and walked out.
"See you at dinner," Harry whispered to Ron.
Hermione, Ginny and Ron went to dinner.
"Are you guys worried about tomorrow?" Ginny asked none of them in particular.
"Yeah, kind of. I'll probably be a lot worse tomorrow, but now I just have mad butterflies in my stomach," Hermione answered.
"What about you Ron?"
"Hm?" He asked. He had been stuffing his face with mashed potato.
"Oh never mind," Ginny replied angrily.
"Ron, aren't you too worried to eat?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"Well, kind of. But I imagine this fight thing will go on for about twelve hours maybe, and twelve hours without food for me is, I don't even want to go there," he said and continued eating.
Hermione rolled her eyes at Ginny and she giggled.
Just then the other three sat down beside them.
"So, what did Dumbledore want?" Ron asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just what we have to do really once we face Voldemort," Harry replied.
"Oh, ok." Ron knew not to go further into it because of what had happened last time.
They finished dinner and returned to their dorms at 6.30. Ginny, Hilary and Ron were playing Exploding Snap and Harry was having another talk with Dumbledore. Hermione and Draco were sitting outside in their garden.
"Now you know that this may be our last time in this garden, don't you?" Draco whispered while stroking Hermione's head.
"Yeah. When we get back, we might be moved straight back to the old Hogwarts and we'll never see this place again," she said softly, even though she knew what Draco was talking about. She felt moisture at the corners of her eyes and bent her head further down, blinking furiously.
"We have so many memories here," Draco said wistfully. "Want to make one more," he added huskily with a smirk. Hermione shoved him.
"Draco! Can you think of nothing else! We only have a day before we go tomorrow, and all you can think about is."
"You. I love you Hermione," he whispered. There, he'd said it.
She looked at him and grinned. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to hear that," and gave him the most loving kiss she could.
"What, so you don't love me?!" Draco exclaimed.
"Of course I do," she said and pulled his head down.
He pulled away. "Then why didn't you say it right away?" he asked.
"Oh, just forget it!" Hermione said angrily and stood up.
"I'm just kidding baby. Sit down. This could be our last night together."
"Don't say that. You know it's not true," she choked out.
"Mrs Moody will be at our dorms in 10 minutes. We'd better get back," he said looking at the ground.
Draco wrapped his arm around her and walked her back to the castle.
THE NEXT EVENING
"Ok, everyone calm down! Now I want you to move in an orderly fashion and arrange yourselves the way we practised this morning," Professor McGonagalls voice rang out. Everyone was standing in the Great Hall walking around finding their spots. All the other kids at the school had been sent home earlier that day so it was only them. Everyone formed a giant spiral. In the centre, Ernie Macmillan was holding Ron's hand. He was holding Ginny, who had Hermione, who had Draco, who held Hilary, who held Harry, who finally held Dumbledore, who held the portkey. The room went deadly silent.
"Ok, is everyone holding two hands?" the room chorused 'yes'.
"The portkey is due to leave in 10 minutes." McGonagall was holding onto one of the Aurors hand.
"5 minutes." She announced.
"10 seconds."
The spiral was lifted of their feet and whirled of in a vortex of sound and colour.
On the other end of the voyage of the portkey a voice said quietly to the hushed crowd.
"They have left."