Harry went into dinner that night, after his Auror lessons, and saw a small girl sitting at the table. She looked to be about two or three years younger than Harry because of her petite frame. She had long blue-black cascades of hair that fell to her waist, and a white complexion. Her eyes were riveted on her plate, and she moved the untouched food around. She looked sullen, depressed even, and Harry wanted to say something, but found he could not. His eyes were transfixed on this mystery girl's face, and she seemed oblivious to him. Moody came in, the door slamming shut behind him, and the girl looked up sharply.
"Allez et reposez-vous, parce que vous êtes las avec votre douleur. Notre compagnon vous aidera, mais ne s'inquiète pas actuellement. Le sommeil, et oublient les jours après." Moody spoke softly to her. The girl looked at Harry quickly, before standing up and briskly walking from the room. Moody sighed and sat down.
"Who was that?" Harry asked, slowly sitting, and staring at her seat.
"She is a dependent of mine. She will be staying with us for quite a while, and I believe she will be joining you in your lessons. She has many talents, but is no where near your ability. You may have to help her." Moody smiled at Mildy as she set a plate down in front of him. "I would advise you, though, not to ask her about tonight, or what I said. She is sensitive about such things." Moody started eating and remained silent. Harry poked at hid dinner, but found he had no appetite. He looked again at the girl's chair, and noticed a small black book. The cover was blank, and Harry reached to pick it up.
"Is this hers?" he whispered, staring at the book. Moody nodded. "I'm going to go and give it to her. Is that all right?"
"I believe she wouldn't mind. Just don't open it." Moody stood and gave him plate to Mildy. "Excellent dinner, Mildy. What was that dish called?" Harry was running up the stairs, and didn't hear the rest of the conversation. Placing his foot on the landing, Harry heard a familiar sobbing. The crying tapered, and gave way to ragged breathing. Harry strode to the door, and realized that it was open. The girl was sitting on her bed, hugging her knees against her chest, rocking back and forth. She was staring forward, and didn't seem to notice Harry. He stepped into her room, causing her to turn abruptly at the motion. They stared at each other for endless moments, emerald mixing with the cobalt blue of her eyes. Unable to break the silence, Harry simply placed the book next to her and straightened. She tore her eyes away from Harry long enough to look at the book, and back at him. She stood, stiffening, and nodded, before walking to her door and shutting it sharply. Harry stood out side her door, and thought She seems so sad. If only I could help her, but I don't even know her name…
* * * * * * * * * * *
Draco and Hermione walked, hand in hand around the house. Hermione was pointing out things, telling him about everything that had happened since they last met. Draco decided not to inform Hermione of his doings, but kept silent and nodded as she rambled on and on.
"And after that, I went outside to find-" Hermione was saying, but was cut short as Draco spun her around and kissed her. She finally broke away, breathing in ragged wisps. "What was that for?" She asked.
"I had to get you to stop talking." Draco teased. "And what better way to get someone to shut up than occupy their mouth?" He smirked at her, and Hermione laughed.
"I have to hand it to you, Malfoy, that was pretty clever." Hermione said, laughing at his mock hurt.
"Back to last names, Granger? I may have to punish you for that one." Mischievously smiling, Draco picked Hermione up and started walking outside.
"Draco…if you dump me in that water I will kill you." Hermione said, looking at him seriously. "I'm not kidding either. I can just say you were attacked, no one knows how, and you're just gone. No one will miss you."
Draco laughed. "Except you, darling." Kissing her lightly, he let her go. She fell into the water, shrieking.
"It's too damn cold!" She yelled, standing up. "Oh, Malfoy you will pay…" Hermione dragged Draco in the water, causing a yelp of surprise from him, and laughter from her. The two continued to splash each other, thoroughly drenching then both. Ron came outside soon, yelling for Hermione.
"Hey, Hermione! Come here, Dumbledore's in our fireplace!" Ron shouted, as Hermione and Draco emerged from the water. "What the fuck…?" Ron whispered to himself. "Malfoy?"
"Nice to see you too, Weasley." Draco smirked, placing an arm around Hermione's waist. "Didn't think I'd live? Or just thought I was too arrogant to care about my wife?" Ron looked at Draco incredulously.
"I… uh… damn…how did you get here?" Ron stuttered. Draco looked at Ron amused. The redhead was blushing furiously, and Draco did all he could to contain his laughter to a smirk.
"I saved Potter's ass, and then decided to come home and visit my family. I'll tell you the story sometime." Draco casually walked past Ron, lacing his fingers with Hermione's. "Shall we go to the fireplace? I think our professor wants to talk to us." Hermione rolled her eyes and dragged Draco to the living room.
"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. Where is Ron?" Albus asked. Hermione pointed to the door. Albus nodded. "Well, he can join us later. I need you all to come to Hogwarts. We need to discuss our plan." Hermione smiled.
"We'll go pack everything and get Ron. Meet you here in an hour?" She asked. Dumbledore nodded, and his head disappeared with a small pop. "Come on, Draco. Help me pack." Draco stood up, and ran a hand through his wet blond hair.
"I'll tell Weasley what to do." Draco suggested, and she nodded, running to her room. Draco sighed and walked outside. Ron was sitting on a porch stair, staring at the water. "Come on, Weasley. You knew I was coming back. Don't sulk." Draco said, standing behind Ron.
"Yeah, well, I was hoping you weren't coming back. You know how much it hurt to have Hermione depressed because you fucking left?" Ron stood up and spun around. "I thought you betrayed her. In fact, I still do think that something went on while you were gone. But Hermione's happy, so what can I do?" Ron got really close to Draco. They were about the same height, and Ron balled his fists. "You stole her from me, you sick bastard. You did all of this, and then leave her? How can I trust you?"
"If I do remember, you were the one fucking Brown in the common room. I was the one who tried to make Hermione get over you, so maybe she would forgive you. It's not my fault we fell in love." Draco said softly.
"I swear, if you hurt Hermione again, I'll fucking kill you. I promise I will." Ron said, and turned to walk away.
"Weasley, you're going the wrong damn direction. You have to pack, we're going back to Hogwarts." Draco turned on the redhead and left, shaking his head at the empty threat Ron posed.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Sirius paced the balcony. Severus, Narcissa, and Minerva had all left the night before, but Sirius stayed there. He knew Remus could take care of himself, and that he shouldn't worry, because it would take him longer to get there because of the full moon, but Sirius kept pacing. He hadn't seen his friend in a little over four years, but they had sent owls now and then. Sirius looked out the window. He saw nothing but empty black, and sighed. He strode to the door and down the steps. He walked out the door and transformed; where Sirius Black had been standing, a large black dog now prowled. Padfoot roamed around the school grounds, trying to take his mind off Remus, but succeeded only in worrying himself more. When a tall, disheveled man started walking up the lawns, Padfoot ran furiously after him. Easily closing the distance between them, Padfoot pounced on Remus. The wizard smiled, realizing that the dog was his old friend. Getting up, Remus spoke.
"Hello, Sirius. I see you're a little happy tonight." Remus said, brushing himself off. He looked up, and once again, Sirius had transformed.
"Well, its not every night you get to see an old friend." Sirius said, eyes twinkling with laughter. "How are you Remus?"
"Oh, I'm fine. You know, the full moon yesterday was horrible. I didn't drink the potion in time and my entire study was ripped apart. You'd think I would remember to take the potion after all these years, but I don't." Remus picked up his suitcase and started walking to the main door. "How about you, Sirius? Is life treating you okay?"
"Well, I'm not in Azkaban, and I'm not in hiding. I suppose you could say that I'm faring pretty well." Sirius laughed. "I'm doing okay. I'm sure Harry hasn't told you what's happening?" Remus shook his head.
"No, I haven't heard from him in a long time. Is he doing well, I hope?" Sirius nodded. "That's nice to hear. But what is happening?" Remus asked, opening the castle doors.
"Well, Hermione is no longer a Granger. She married Draco Malfoy." Sirius looked at his friend's astounded expression. "Yes, I know. Hard to believe that our little Hermione is married, especially to a Malfoy. But she seems happy enough. Ron and her recently went into hiding, after Draco was reported missing after their wedding."
"Poor Hermione. She must have had an awful time, not knowing where her husband was. Is he back yet? Do we know anything about where he is?" Remus inquired.
"He returned two days ago. Poppy had him sleeping all yesterday, and he went to Hermione's safe house last night. Ron, Hermione, and Draco all came back to Hogwarts this afternoon. Dumbledore told them to meet him in his office about twenty minutes ago. Would you like to go?" Sirius said as they walked up the stairs. They stood in front of the gargoyle, which was patiently waiting for the deciding party to walk up the stairs.
"Yes, I believe I would like to see everyone." Remus said thoughtfully, and started up the stairs. Sirius followed, smiling. It was nice to have one of his friends back. Even if one had betrayed them and two had died, the three remaining would never forget their own Hogwarts days.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Harry sat at his window, staring into the cold darkness. The moon had slipped behind a cloud, subduing the moonlight. The stars twinkled in the sky, and Harry looked up just in time to see one fall. Wish upon a falling star, Harry thought. He had never wished on one before, but now seemed like just the time for a miracle…
Harry sighed. There just weren't enough words to express what he wished for. He wished for the strength to defeat Voldemort, for the world to return to a somewhat normal state, for Hermione to live her life with Draco in happiness, for Ron to finally find someone to share his life with… Everyone should be happy, even himself. But under his circumstances, that seemed the least of his troubles. He was 18 years old, still young and healthy, but he was the key player in the war. Voldemort was after him, Draco had confirmed that, and Harry was supposed to elude him, save the world from darkness… But how? A little voice in Harry's mind whispered. How are you going to defeat the world's greatest wizard alone? You can't do it Harry… you don't possess the courage to go through this fight alone… Harry looked out the window, down across the endless expanse of grass. It was true. Harry couldn't do this alone… He needed someone, but who was the question. What about that girl? Harry asked himself. Moody said you might have to help her, but maybe she can help you. Harry shook his head. He didn't even know her name. For the brief moments their eyes had locked, Harry had felt something, that was certain, but what it was, he did not know. His heart had sped up under her intense glare, her eyes had seemed to look inside of him, down to his very core, revealing his secrets, his fears…but her eyes had been so full of despair, like she needed someone too. Help eachother. Go to her, find her, help her…save her, Harry's voice echoed in his head. He stood, walking to his door. He pulled it open and saw a tiny black snake slither under the door next to his. Her door. Harry panicked. He didn't know why a snake would be in Moody's house, but if it presented a danger to his one link, that one flicker of hope he still had… Harry opened the door slowly, softly. The girl was standing with her back to him in the center of her room. The moonlight filled her room, giving the scene an iridescent blue glow. Harry scanned the floor with his eyes, and not seeing the snake, he looked back at the girl. Her hair had been pulled back and held up with two gnarled sticks. She was dressed in a flowing black dress that barely skimmed the floor. Harry stood, his hand on the doorknob, and stared at her mystic beauty. She turned, catching a glimpse of Harry. He froze as she walked towards him. Placing a hand on Harry's arm, she looked into his eyes. Harry's heart sped up again, and he found that it became harder to breathe.
"Is there something you needed?" She asked. Her hand left Harry's arm, and she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Your name…" Harry breathed, still captivated by her beauty. The moonlight shone off her skin, making her the brightest thing in the room. The sight of her standing there was almost like a dream.
"Tanith." The girl stated simply. "Is that all?" Harry was jerked back to reality at her blunt tone, and blinked a few times to clear his eyes.
"I saw a snake come in your room. I don't know if it was harmful or not, just be careful." Harry looked curiously at the girl's smirk, thinking how much she looked like Malfoy.
"I'll be careful." Tanith said softly, a hint of amusement in her voice. She eased Harry's hand off the doorknob. "Goodnight." She said softly, closing and locking the door.
"Goodnight." Harry whispered to the cold, empty air.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Hermione sat in Dumbledore's office, her fingers laced with Draco's, watching intently. Hermione and Draco sat there with Ron, Professors Snape and McGonagall, Sirius, Remus, Narcissa, and of course Albus Dumbledore. Remus was greeting everyone, and telling them all of his accident on the night of the full moon. Sirius laughed a little, something he rarely did anymore, and sat next to Ron. The Headmaster cleared his throat to get the attention of the people in the room.
"As I am sure you are all well aware of, Draco has returned. I don't know how many of you know the story of his time away, but I will allow Draco the chance to tell you." Albus looked at Draco. He seemed unusually pale, and the cut down his cheek was slightly pink, having not fully healed. Draco stood, drawing in a long, deep breath, and squeezed Hermione's hand before letting go. All eyes were focused on him.
"When I turned the portkey, I was transported to Malfoy Manor. To the dungeons. Lucius was waiting for me there. He apparently found out that I had been married, and took me to Voldemort." Draco sighed, and ran a hand through his tousled blond hair. Narcissa sat down, looking very tired and weak. "Voldemort told me that if I failed to direct the Death Eaters to Harry, that they would kill Hermione." Draco turned to look at Hermione. Her face had a pained expression, and her eyes were closed. "For the past few weeks, I have been directing Voldemort's forces to America, telling them Potter was hiding there. I knew he would never go to America, but Voldemort believed me. The other night, Potter showed up in my room. He didn't believe me when I told him that Voldemort was after him. So I took a truth potion." Narcissa drew her breath in sharply.
"Draco…" She whispered standing to meet her son. "If Lucius had found you, and asked any number of questions, your life would be in danger." Narcissa's eyes were filling with tears.
"I know, Mother. But I had to make Potter believe me so he could get out. But, unfortunately, he didn't get out in time. Voldemort told me that Lucius would decide how he would die, and when I stopped Lucius from entering Potter's cell, he thought I wanted to kill him. So he let me into Potter's cell, where I proceeded to tell Potter a way out and gave him my wand to stun me. McNair and Tharow came in and mobilized me, so I went to see Lucius. The potion had worn off completely, so I told him that I was the only one who could follow Potter, and telling someone else might endanger our mission. I took Potter's wand from Lucius' pocket, and picked up his invisibility cloak on my way out. I'm afraid of few more Death Eaters might know about my marriage, because I told Natalie Ricard." Draco sat down again. Hermione and Narcissa were both openly crying, and Ron was sitting in his chair, face white and a shocked expression on his face.
"Oh, Draco," Hermione sobbed. "You risked your life for Harry?" She wiped away a few of her tears and took Draco's hands in her own.
"No, I risked my life for our cause. You know as well as I that I hate Voldemort and his Death Eaters. They wanted to kill Potter so Voldemort could come back in full force. We're no where near being ready to fight the Dark side, so I had to buy us some time." Draco looked at his mother, who had stood and walked over. She kneeled beside her son and daughter-in-law.
"Draco, what you did was very brave. Lucius is a very powerful man, and you jeopardized a lot to save Harry." Narcissa leaned up and kissed her son's cheek. "But you can't do that anymore. You have a wife to take care of. If it is absolutely vital, then by all means, do what you need to. But Hermione needs you. Just be careful." She stood and walked to Severus, who gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"Well, now that we know what Voldemort wants exactly, I believe we can move on to our plan of attack." Albus said, standing. "Harry is currently safe at Moody's house, so I believe we need not worry about him. Even if the Dark Lord planned an attack there, Moody and his multiple auror friends would be able to fend them off. Now, since we cannot send all of us into hiding, I believe everyone present should stay at Hogwarts. As for accommodations…" Albus smiled. "Draco and Hermione can occupy the Head Boy and Girl's quarters. Narcissa has a place to stay. Ron, you can stay in either your old dormitories, or we can fix up a classroom. Same goes for you, Sirius and Remus."
"We'll stay in the Gryffindor dorms." Remus said, elbowing his friend in the ribs. "We can get along quite well there, I believe. Would you like to join us Ron?"
"Sure." Ron said, still quite pale and subdued. Albus nodded.
"Then we have everything set. You may go to bed now. If you would like a late-night snack, ask Mr. Lupin and Mr. Black… I'm sure they know the way to the kitchens." Albus smiled, a twinkle in his eye. Slowly, the room emptied, until only Draco and Hermione were left.
"I'll meet you in our common room, okay? I just want to talk to Ron before he gets too far away." Hermione said, placing a hand on Draco's arm. He nodded, and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. Turning to leave, Draco walked out silently, leaving Hermione alone in the dark. She hurried down the steps and in the direction of Gryffindor tower. Finally catching up to Ron, Hermione placed a hand on his shoulder, panting for air.
"Hermione? Are you okay?" Ron said, a little worried. Hermione held one finger up, signaling she needed a minute to breathe. When her breathing pattern slowed, she stood.
"Yes, Ron. I'm fine. I just had to run to catch up to you. I wanted to talk to you about…well, you know…the whole ordeal on the island." Hermione blushed slightly, thankful the darkness of the corridor hid it.
"Well, Hermione…it's like this…" Ron stuttered, also glad that she couldn't see that he was blushing. "I love you."
"Oh, Ron, I love you too!" Hermione said, throwing her arms around him in a hug. Instead of returning the gesture, he pulled her off him and stepped back.
"No, Hermione, not like that. I mean, like how Malfoy loves you. I guess I always have. And I know I made a big mistake with Lavender, but when Malfoy left, I thought that I might have a chance again. I really did think he left you, Hermione." Ron looked straight into Hermione's chocolate brown eyes. They were filled with tears.
"Oh, Ron, I didn't know. How could I have been so blind? I'm so sorry…" Hermione put her head in her hands.
"Don't be sorry, Hermione. You're happy. It's not like I can make you divorce Malfoy for me. And now that I see that he really does care about you, I'm sort of happy too." Ron smiled, but his heart was breaking.
"Thank you, Ron." Hermione whispered, hugging him again. "You have no idea how much this means to me." She squeezed his hand and ran off. Ron sighed, and continued the trek to Gryffindor tower.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Narcissa walked with Severus in silence all the way to the dungeons. They entered the living room and sat by the fire. Severus looked at Narcissa intently, seeing the pain in her ice blue eyes.
"Draco will be fine. He's a brave young man, Narcissa. He can take care of himself." Severus said, placing an arm around her shoulders.
"I know, Severus. But Lucius is so strong…he could easily kill Draco. I know he needs the Malfoy heir, but he still has me, remember? I'm only 36 years old…young enough to give him another son." Narcissa cringed at the thought of bearing another of Lucius' children.
"If he were to do that, make you mother another child, the Malfoy bloodline would stop, for I'd kill him with my own bare hands. He has no claim over you, Narcissa." Severus said, stroking his lover's soft blonde hair.
"I know, Severus. But still, I worry." She stood, and kissed Severus lightly. "I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight." She walked gently to her room. Severus went to his room, too.
Narcissa sat at the antique desk under her window. The surface was dusty, and the parchment in the drawer was yellowing with age. I guess Severus doesn't have many guests, Narcissa thought to herself, but sobered at the thought of what she was going to write.
Dear Lucius-
I know what you are about to read will severely anger you, but try to take it in the best sense. The affair with Draco disgusted me. I know how you operate, but threatening your own daughter-in-law? That is low, even for you. I cannot hide the fact that I'm not fond of you. But I hope that you can see the only reason I married you was because my parents forced me to. But I am a grown woman now, and I can make my own decisions. I want a divorce. Please contact me as soon as you can.
-Narcissa
Folding the letter and sealing it, Narcissa breathed a sigh of relief. She walked up to the owlery with a slight bounce in her step, feeling freer that she had in twenty years.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Hermione walked into her common room, surprised to see Draco with two other students. He stood upon her entry, as did a young brunette boy. There was a blonde girl who smiled warmly.
"Hermione, we have some guests. This is Dillon Rossi, Head Boy from Ravenclaw." Draco motioned towards the boy. Dillon took Hermione's hand and pressed it lightly to his lips, bowing, and stepped back. Hermione smiled. "And this young lady is Camille Trepping, from Slytherin." The girl stood up and walked to Hermione.
"Draco had been telling us that you are to stay with us for a year. We know that you were Head Boy and Girl last year." Camille smiled. "Come, Hermione. Sit with us. I would like to get to know our roommates a little better." Her accent was French, and she had a complexion very much like Draco's. I wonder… Hermione thought, thinking she looked very much like a certain French girl she had met many years ago…
"Excuse me, I hate to be rude, but are you part Veela?" Hermione asked, sitting next to Draco. He looked at her, uncertain of her intention, but Camille just laughed.
"Yes, I am. In fact, a girl from Beauxbatons is my cousin. I believe you know her. Fleur Delacour?" Camille smiled warmly. Hermione nodded, and Draco looked at her with wide eyes.
"You're Fleur's cousin?" He asked. Camille nodded, a little confused at his enthusiasm. "She never told me she had a cousin in Hogwarts! You look so much like her…" Draco smiled.
"Draco, do you mind telling the rest of us how you knew Fleur?" Hermione said. Draco turned to her rather quickly.
"Well, she came here for most of the year, in our fourth year. So, she used to spend an awful lot of time outside, near the quidditch pitch. One day after practice, she came up to me, and we started talking about the tournament and such. She asked me to help her. I hated the other contestants, especially Potter, and a girl like Fleur only comes around once, so I agreed. We got to know eachother quite well…" Draco's voice trailed off, looking towards Hermione. She had a slight smile dancing on her lips. "On a very personal note. When I went Nice over the summer, I saw her again. We corresponded a lot, up until last year." Draco took Hermione's hand in his. "When I met you."
Camille looked quite excited. "She told me a lot about you, if you're the Malfoy I think that you are. Oh, it's so nice to meet you!" She ran over and hugged Draco.
"You too, Camille." Draco said, looking slightly confused. Hermione laughed. "Well, Dillon, as I see it, it's quite late, and you have classes tomorrow, so we better head off to bed." Draco said, prying Camille off him. Dillon nodded, and said goodnight to the girls. He went to his door and turned.
"You're sleeping in here. There's an extra bed set up. I'll be asleep when you get there, so don't worry about it." Dillon turned and went in his room, shutting the door softly behind him. Camille had already left, leaving similar instructions for Hermione.
"Well, I suppose we ought to sleep too. I want to visit some teachers in the morning, maybe see Ginny. G'night." Hermione said, kissing Draco's cheek. He swept her up in a hug and kissed her lightly back.
"Until morning, my love." Draco whispered. He left to go to his room, leaving Hermione standing alone, still holding on to her memories.
* * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * *
*AUTHOR'S RANT* all right, I want reviews! This is an open threat! IF I DON'T GET REVIEWS THERE WILL BE NO END TO MY GODDAMN STORY AND NO BEGINNING TO ANY NEW ONES!!!!!!!!!! I SWEAR, I'M NOT JOKING HERE! Anyways, for my LOYAL reviewers, if you want to know about my upcoming stories, email me at flyingpixiedust@aol.com and I will tell you about them. A lot of people say that the whole ss/nm thing is disgusting, but somehow, I like it. Call me sappy but I have this sincere wish for everyone to be happy. Yes, I did invent a character ((with mass amounts of help from Jess, who made this story possible)) and I'm going to introduce 2 more. So cope, if you don't like it, review! And tell me that…Anyways, this is long enough! If you have any pertinent questions, REVIEW and ask, or IM me at strawberygirly22 or flyingpixiedust. Once again, REVIEW!