Unexpected Love
Summary: A fic that takes place after Hogwarts. Hermione left the magical world behind after a messy breakup with Krum and became a muggle teacher. Years later she discovers that one of her new students is a Malfoy. What will happen when Draco enters her life?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters. The ones you don't recognize belong to me.
Chapter 15- The Quest for a Malfoy
(Previously- "Does this mean---?" she began, but couldn't seem to finish her sentence. "Yes," Draco whispered, even his voice quaking. "Justin's gone.")
Hermione sank down onto the couch, holding her head in her hands. "Oh Merlin. Bloody hell. Why would anyone do that?"
"You read the letter Hermione. You know why," Draco said, sliding onto the couch beside her. His eyes were so hollow looking that they scared Hermione. She didn't respond so he let his eyes fall to the piece of parchment that he had already read numerous times.
Mr. Malfoy,
We have received word that you have severely disobeyed your deceased father, Lucius. You have divorced your wife, Pansy, whom your father ordered you to marry and expected you to stay that way, and you were spotted last year voluntarily in the company of the mudblood, Hermione Granger. The worst thing, however, is that you have raised an heir who is unfit to carry on the Malfoy name. Therefore, he has been taken to an undisclosed place where he will be taught the proper way to be a Malfoy, away from you, a disgrace to the Malfoy name.
Signed, the Death Eaters
Draco sat beside Hermione in silence when he had finished reading it to himself once again. He felt tears start to well in his eyes as he thought of what the Death Eaters were doing to his innocent little Justin. He glanced over at Hermione who had tears cascading down her cheeks. Suddenly, without warning, she stood up, and angry look in her tear-filled honey eyes.
"I thought Voldemort and his followers were gone! I thought evil was no more in this world!" she shouted to Draco. Draco just stared at her oddly before replying quietly, "Voldemort's gone. Or gone for now. He found a way to come back before and there's always the chance that it'll happen again. But the Death Eaters are still out there, searching for him and, in the meantime, carrying on his legacy. The Malfoy's were a powerful Dark Arts family in the time of Voldemort and my father expected me to continue that with an evil, pureblood son. Well, Justin may be pureblood but he's far from evil. The remaining Death Eaters figured that out obviously and now they've set out to change that. They kidnapped him," he finished hollowly.
He had avoided saying the words out loud before. Saying them made them final, the truth. His son had been kidnapped by Death Eaters. Hermione seemed to have been avoiding saying it out loud also as she had snapped her head up towards him, her startled eyes locking with his. She began to cry once more at the realization that this was true, this was real, it wasn't just a bad dream that they would wake up from. Justin was gone.
"Well," began Draco, getting off the couch to stand infront of Hermione, looking down at her eagerly. "We have to go find him! We have to go save him! He's not evil, I won't let them make him!"
Hermione looked up at him wearily with red, puffy eyes before replying, "How will we find him? We have no idea where he is. We won't know where to start. It'll be like finding a needle in a haystack."
"So you're just going to forget him? It's not easy enough so you're going to give up? I can't believe this! This is my son we're talking about! My son!" He was practically roaring now. His face was red and his eyes flashed dangerously. Hermione cowered under his nasty glare and replied meekly, "I never said we wouldn't look for him. Of course we will. We'll just need a little help getting started."
Draco calmed down and apologized to her quietly. "You're right, I'm sorry. I think we both know who can help us. Who knows more about Voldemort than any good person we know? Who led an entire Order plotting to destroy him?" Their eyes locked once more in silent agreement. Scrambling off the couch Hermione followed Draco who was already halfway to the portrait hole. First stop: Dumbledore's office.
***** *** *****
"Fizzing Whizzbee!" they both shouted together moments later as they approached the entrance to the Headmasters office. The stone steps appeared and they both raced up them, banging on the door as they reached the top. The door opened quickly and Dumbledore appeared in the doorway. He smiled briefly when he saw them standing there together but his face fell quickly as he saw the state that the two young wizards were in.
"Come in, come in, what's wrong?" the old man asked them quickly, a look of concern in his sparkling blue eyes. Draco couldn't seem to say the words aloud again so, taking a deep breath, Hermione looked Dumbledore square in the eyes and said, "Sir, we need your help. Justin Malfoy has been.... has been.... kidnapped. By Death Eaters, sir."
Dumbledore's blue eyes grew cloudy and anger blazed across them. Hermione, slightly afraid, backed away from the fury.
"How do you know?" he asked in a steely voice. Draco shakily held out the letter and replied in a small voice, "Here, sir, the letter from them." Dumbledore took the letter and scanned it quickly. His sharp gaze locked with Draco's and he asked, "Do you have any idea where they might be?"
"No, sir," Draco replied, cowering slightly under the Headmasters sharp stare. "We thought maybe you'd know...."
"Well, I may have one idea," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "It was one of the Death Eater headquarters. We uncovered it near the end of Voldemort's reign. It was deserted but it looked like they might be returning. Surrounded by spells, that place was, but we were able to break through them to find it. I don't believe they know that we discovered it so they may still think it's a secret place."
"Well what are we waiting for!" Draco practically yelled at the old man. "Let's get outta here! This is my son we're talking about!"
"Please stay calm Mr. Malfoy, we will leave as soon as I make the preparations. We can't just disappear from this school now, can we?" the Headmaster told him. Draco scowled but grudgingly agreed and the Headmaster swept out of the room followed closely by Draco and Hermione.
At the bottom of the winding staircase Dumbledore pointed his wand at his throat and muttered a spell. He then said, "All professors please report to the staff common room immediately. I repeat, all professors please report to the staff common room immediately." His voice magically echoed throughout the corridors and rooms.
The three of them quickly procedded to the staff common room and entered, Merl giving no comments at the sight of Dumbledore. Moments later the entire staff was assembled around a large table in the back. Dumbledore stood before them all at the head of the table, flanked on either side by Hermione and Draco. The teachers remained silent at the grave looks on their faces. Finally, Dumbledore spoke.
"There has been a kidnapping. Young mister Malfoy, Draco's six year old son, has been taken by the Death Eaters. They're goal is to turn his mind evil and we must not let that happen to his innocent mind. Draco, Hermione, and I must take a temporary leave of absence as we attempt to rescue Justin Malfoy."
The professors began murmuring slightly, fear and astonishment etched across some of their faces. Dumbledore waited for it to quiet down before speaking again.
"Minerva, you will take over the role of Headmistress while I am gone. Owl Professors Clarke and Williams about temporarily taking over the Defense Against the Dark Arts and the Charms lessons. They should be more than willing, I'm sure. Please also tell the students a liable excuse as I do not wish to worry them with all this Death Eater business. Now, the three of us must be leaving as quickly as possible so goodbye."
Dumbledore waited while Draco and Hermione scurried into their rooms to retrieve their cloaks and scarves. When they returned, Dumbledore hurried towards the portrait hole, Draco and Hermione quickly followed him once again. The three of them walked to the entrance of the school and emerged into the dark night full of bitter wind and swirling snow, bound for Hogmeade it seemed.
Upon arrival, Dumbledore suggested they find a warm place to stay for the night and begin early in the morning. Draco began to protest but Hermione shushed him. She knew that Dumbledore knew what he was doing and anyways, it was far too dangerous to be out in the pitch black night with the thick, churning snow blinding their vision.
They made their way quickly towards the nearest lodgings, a little hotel off a small side street. Hermione looked up to try and read the sign but snow made the name indecipherable. She didn't care really, she was already chilled right through to the bone and eager to enter any warmth, even the Hogs Head.
They entered the hotel and looked around, shivering. It was a small place but very cozy. The fire at the end of the room warmed the trio right up and they quickly shed their layers. Several chocolate brown couches and chairs were crowded around the fire, going nicely with the dark forest green walls. Books were stacked on dark wood bookshelves along one wall but Hermione didn't even feel the urge to read under these circumstances. At the other end of the room, beside a dark, winding staircase, a small, round, cheerful old witch sat behind a counter, deeply immersed in whatever she was writing. She looked up when the three entered and smiled broadly when she saw Dumbledore.
"Albus! How wonderful to see you! What brings you down from that wonderful school of yours? And on a Sunday night!" She scrambled to put on her glasses and peered up at Dumbledore. Her broad smile quickly left her face as she saw Dumbledore's expression. Before she could say anything, Dumbledore said to her, "We just need a room please Carliana. Any one will do, we will be leaving before the sun rises tomorrow."
"Oh of course, of course," she said, and hurried to look through her papers. "Ah, yes, room 7 is free. Just up the stairs and it's the second room on your left." She handed him the key then smiled feebly at him. "Enjoy your stay!"
Dumbledore strode up the stairs, key in hand and turned to the second door on their left. He unlocked it swiftly and walked into the room. Hermione emerged into it and glanced around. She would have been in awe of the beauty of it if the situation had been different. The walls were a dark eggplant colour and everything else in the room, including the three beds and all the bedcoverings, were a soft, silky white. A fireplace across from the beds made the room nice and toasty and a large window at the end of the room showed a view of the main street of Hogsmeade alight with many strings and colours of Christmas lights.
However, Hermione didn't register too much of this. She was exhausted and frightened. She took off her cloak, scarf, robes, and shoes, leaving them in a pile on the floor, and climbed into bed. Draco and Dumbledore followed suit and all three were in their beds, lights off, without a word spoken to each other. All three of them were silent, lost in their thoughts of what tomorrow would bring.
*****
Hermione opened her eyes in the early morning to dim light. It was obviously before sunrise as the stars glowed faintly still in the now clear sky. She slowly sat up, trying to figure out where she was. Then she looked to the side and in the dim light saw Draco, wide awake and staring at the ceiling, and remembered. She was at a hotel in Hogsmeade. Today they would start searching for Justin Malfoy.
As she went to swing her legs to the floor, her bed gave a small creak. Startled, Draco snapped his head in her direction. That was when Hermione noticed the deep bags under his still-hollow eyes. Apparently, he hadn't slept a wink last night. They stared at each other for a while longer in silence, not a word spoken, not even a 'morning'.
Hermione finally looked away and Draco returned his gaze to the ceiling, staring at it yet not really seeing it. Hermione got up and muttered a spell to make her bed. As the sheets, quilts, and pillows straightened themselves, she looked at her attire. She looked like she had just crawled out of the wrinkle bag so, even though what she looked like really wasn't an issue here, she muttered another quick spell that made her clothes neatly pressed and fresh smelling. She then turned and walked into the bathroom.
When she emerged, Draco had gotten up, made his bed, and made himself presentable. He had to look good for when they found his son. Hermione's gaze then traveled over to Dumbledore's empty, neatly made bed. She wondered where he could be. Just as this thought entered her mind, Dumbledore came bursting into the room.
"Are we ready to leave?" Dumbledore asked, gazing at the two young adults. They both answered yes, their voices cracking slightly as they had not been used for a little while. Dumbledore nodded his head at them and swept out the door, obviously expecting the two to follow. Hermione grabbed her cloak, scarf, and hat as Draco did the same and the two of them followed the Headmaster down the stairs, past the witch's empty desk and out into the early morning.
The sun was just beginning to peek above the mountains around them, turning the sky a light pink colour. The pink reflected on the blanket of sparkling fresh snow creating a breathtaking sight. However, none of them paid any attention whatsoever to it. Their focus was on locating Justin and returning him safely to Draco.
The day dragged on and on as they trudged through the knee deep snow, a slow process. The sun rose higher and higher into the sky until it was at its highest point. It was noon, but the trio didn't stop moving. They were much too cold for that.
The snow had soaked their cloak bottoms and robe bottoms and weighed them down, slowing them even more. With each step Hermione shivered more. The cold had seeped through her right to the core and to make matters worse the wind was beginning to pick up again, occasionally blowing snow off the ground into their vision. But still they trudged on, slowly and silently.
All during the morning they had walked across open areas with only the mountains around them. But now, as the sun began its descent in the sky, Hermione glimpsed a large cluster of trees in front of them. As they approached it, the cluster appeared to be much larger. It was in fact a vast stretch of woods and from the look of things, Hermione suspected that it was a deep and dense forest, much like the forbidden forest.
As the trudged throw the pile of snow towards it, Hermione was so cold that she irritated and frustrated. Frustrated that this was taking so long. Frustrated that she had to walk through the snow all this way. She kept these thoughts to herself, however, until something inside of her snapped.
"Why do we have to walk this way? Are we not magical? Do we not know how to Apparate? It's very useful you know, and quite warm to do so!" she burst out. Draco and Dumbledore stopped walking and turned towards her. Draco was pale and shivering, his teeth chattering violently. Dumbledore looked exhausted; he was, after all, extremely old. Suddenly Hermione felt ashamed. She wasn't the only one that was cold. She wasn't the only one that was tired. And this wasn't some silly little game; this was the life and innocence of a six year old boy in their hands.
As Hermione turned red, Dumbledore spoke gently to her. He knew that she knew she shouldn't have said that. But she did have a point and he did have a reason.
"There are countless spells around the entrance through which we must break. One of the spells is an anti-Apparation spell, much like the one at Hogwarts. You, I believe, have read Hogwarts: A History and should know much about this spell. So, the only thing we can do is walk in."
Hermione turned even redder and promptly pursed her lips together, knowing she should not say anything else. They needed to continue. So the three of them once again began their journey. They entered the forest and wound their way through trees, not following any path. But Hermione knew tat Dumbledore must know where he's going as he walked purposefully through the dense woods.
Suddenly, they stopped. Hermione saw Dumbledore reach out his hand hesitantly to the air in front of him. However, as his hand went forwards, a blue light shone around it, showing that there was, indeed, an invisible wall there.
"A complex shield charm, the first of many we must break through. However, each and every one of these charms requires plenty of power to break through them. It is one of the reasons why I am absolutely delighted that you are the ones here with me. You both were the cleverest students of your year, and two of the most powerful witches and wizards of your time." Dumbledore told them.
Hermione gaped at him. Her, powerful? Sure, she was smart, but that was brainy stuff. She certainly couldn't have much power in her small body. She quickly turned her attention back to Dumbledore, however, as he continued, "Now, I remember each and every one of the counter charms to break through all of the spells. Listen carefully. These spells are very, very powerful Dark magic and not many normal witches and wizards, however many there are, are able to break through one of them, let alone all of them. But I have full belief that you will be able to do it. You just must concentrate. I will tell you the words to say and you must concentrate very, very hard on destroying the Dark magic, breaking the spells, and rescuing young Justin."
With Dumbledore's words she knew she could do it. She had to. She had to save Justin. She determinedly nodded her head at Dumbledore and Draco did the same thing, his eyes suddenly set and determined, unwavering. Dumbledore smiled slightly at them at repeated the counter charm to them before turning back to the invisible shield and drawing his wand. Hermione and Draco followed suit and flanked Dumbledore on either side.
"On the count of three then," Dumbledore said. Hermione nodded to herself and closed her eyes. "One.... two....." Hermione pictured Justin in her mind. She pictured him running and laughing on the playground as she watched him from the window. She pictured him swimming on the lakes edge that day she first went sailing, splashing and laughing gleefully. She pictured him at her goodbye party, asleep on the rug, curled into the fetal position, and a smile on his face as he dreamt, his light blonde hair falling across his closed warm grey eyes. Then she pictured him being tortured by Death Eaters, them telling his he must be evil as he screamed for help. This scream rang through Hermione's head as Dumbledore said, "Three!"
Hermione felt the power surge through her body as she yelled out the words to destroy the Dark shield. She opened her eyes just as a dark pink light escaped her wand. It mixed with the dark green of Draco's and the dark, angry red of Dumbledore's spell and the three spells, now one, his the shield with huge amounts of power. The shield glowed blue for a moment until there was a blinding flash and the shield basically exploded in front of them. They shielded their eyes until the light faded. Hermione hesitantly looked up, blinking as spots appeared in her vision. The quickly disappeared and Hermione surveyed the scene in front of them. It looked oddly normal, just like a regular forest it seemed.
Dumbledore held up his hand and moved it forward slowly. It passed right through the place where the shield had stood moments before. Dumbledore turned to them grinning and Draco and Hermione both managed faint smiles before Draco set his eyes determined once more.
"That's only one gone. There's plenty more left between here and Justin. We can't waste any time," Draco said sternly to Dumbledore. The old wizard just nodded his head and the trio contined forwards, deeper into the heart of the forest.
One by one the two wizards and the one witch worked their way past the spells, disintegrating them as they went. Hours passed as they painstakingly moved forwards. The sun dipped lower and lower until it disappeard completely. Night was upon them but luckily the sky was clear and the moon shed enough light through the trees for them to work by.
They soon lost count of the numbers of charms they had broken. One would expect that the three would be drained of energy every time they did this. But for Hermione, as well as Draco and perhaps Dumbledore, it was odd. With each victory over the Dark magic, they felt stronger, more powerful, and more able to demolish the spells. And with every passing spell it became easier.
Suddenly, deep, deep into the woods, they came upon a spell that was so powerful you could feel the power radiating from it. Dumbledore suggested, "I feel Voldemort himself put power into this spell. It's the last one, after this, we're in. We must concentrate harder than ever before, throw our whole being behind the power of our charms. Only then will we be able to break the spell.
So without hesitation, the trio set themselves up. Dumbledore told them the counter charm and they all concentrated harder than aver before. As Dumbledore had told them, they threw everything into the power of this spell. Every power they had in their body. Magic, emotion, everything surged through their veins and into the charm.
Hermione was afraid to open her eyes after but Draco let out a triumphant yell, meaning they must have done it. She shot open her eyes and to her surprise, they had indeed. The two young adults turned to Dumbledore, wondering what was next. He said they had gotten through the last one, but where was the entrance? All that surrounded them were trees.
Dumbledore sensed their wonderment because he strode over to the largest tree in the area and motioned for them to follow. They gathered around the tree and watched as Dumbledore searched the bottom. Moving leaves and earth around he seemed to be looking for something. Finally he stopped and stepped back, pointing to a spot on the bottom of the tree in front of him.
Hermione looked around puzzled before she finally spotted it. A serpent, carved into a piece of bark near the roots. She gasped and heard Draco do the same as he too discovered it.
"We must all hold hands. Look deep inside yourself and find your innermost power. After that last counter charm you should be more powerful than you have ever been before. Take that power and draw it out through your hands. Force yours into the other people but don't let go. We will grasp each others power tightly, intertwining it with our own. Then, and only then, will we have created a circle of power strong enough to open this tree."
Hermione nodded firmly and grasped Draco's cold, trembling hand on one side and Dumbledore's warm, wrinkled one on the other side. When Dumbledore said it was time, she did as he had ordered. Deep inside herself she found her innermost power. She pulled this towards her hands and forced it into Dumbledore's and Draco's arms. She felt them grasp it as they forced their own into her body. She grabbed it and wound it tightly with her own, which she still had a firm grasp on. She knew nothing other than the intensity of the force traveling through her body. She vaguely heard Dumbledore muttering a Latin phrase and suddenly, a bright light glowed through her closed eyelids. But still she held strong.
"That will do, now draw your own power back inside you and let go of each others," Dumbledore said, and even as the words left his mouth she felt him tug back his power and let go of hers. Draco and Hermione did that same and finally, they all opened their eyes, separate once again.
Hermione gazed around her surroundings and when she saw the scene before her she let out a shuddering gasp and muttered, "Oh… my… God…."
AN- Soooooo long chapter huh? Didja like it? Did ya hate it? Well, I really would like to know and the only way for me to find out is for you to review! :) That would make me very happy, and happy me updates faster cuz I know you want to read the next chapter really soon! So please please please press the lil blue button that says 'go' beside 'submit review.' It's a happy lil button and LOVES to be pushed!!!! Yay! Ok, so I really hope you liked this chapter, it's getting good…… I hope! Ok, so review please! And while you're waiting for my next chapter go visit my Harry Potter forum! http://scribblingquill.proboards19.com/. Yay, it's fun, so go see! But review first! Ok, I'm outtie, cya! ~*~FieryPhoenix~*~
Summary: A fic that takes place after Hogwarts. Hermione left the magical world behind after a messy breakup with Krum and became a muggle teacher. Years later she discovers that one of her new students is a Malfoy. What will happen when Draco enters her life?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters. The ones you don't recognize belong to me.
Chapter 15- The Quest for a Malfoy
(Previously- "Does this mean---?" she began, but couldn't seem to finish her sentence. "Yes," Draco whispered, even his voice quaking. "Justin's gone.")
Hermione sank down onto the couch, holding her head in her hands. "Oh Merlin. Bloody hell. Why would anyone do that?"
"You read the letter Hermione. You know why," Draco said, sliding onto the couch beside her. His eyes were so hollow looking that they scared Hermione. She didn't respond so he let his eyes fall to the piece of parchment that he had already read numerous times.
Mr. Malfoy,
We have received word that you have severely disobeyed your deceased father, Lucius. You have divorced your wife, Pansy, whom your father ordered you to marry and expected you to stay that way, and you were spotted last year voluntarily in the company of the mudblood, Hermione Granger. The worst thing, however, is that you have raised an heir who is unfit to carry on the Malfoy name. Therefore, he has been taken to an undisclosed place where he will be taught the proper way to be a Malfoy, away from you, a disgrace to the Malfoy name.
Signed, the Death Eaters
Draco sat beside Hermione in silence when he had finished reading it to himself once again. He felt tears start to well in his eyes as he thought of what the Death Eaters were doing to his innocent little Justin. He glanced over at Hermione who had tears cascading down her cheeks. Suddenly, without warning, she stood up, and angry look in her tear-filled honey eyes.
"I thought Voldemort and his followers were gone! I thought evil was no more in this world!" she shouted to Draco. Draco just stared at her oddly before replying quietly, "Voldemort's gone. Or gone for now. He found a way to come back before and there's always the chance that it'll happen again. But the Death Eaters are still out there, searching for him and, in the meantime, carrying on his legacy. The Malfoy's were a powerful Dark Arts family in the time of Voldemort and my father expected me to continue that with an evil, pureblood son. Well, Justin may be pureblood but he's far from evil. The remaining Death Eaters figured that out obviously and now they've set out to change that. They kidnapped him," he finished hollowly.
He had avoided saying the words out loud before. Saying them made them final, the truth. His son had been kidnapped by Death Eaters. Hermione seemed to have been avoiding saying it out loud also as she had snapped her head up towards him, her startled eyes locking with his. She began to cry once more at the realization that this was true, this was real, it wasn't just a bad dream that they would wake up from. Justin was gone.
"Well," began Draco, getting off the couch to stand infront of Hermione, looking down at her eagerly. "We have to go find him! We have to go save him! He's not evil, I won't let them make him!"
Hermione looked up at him wearily with red, puffy eyes before replying, "How will we find him? We have no idea where he is. We won't know where to start. It'll be like finding a needle in a haystack."
"So you're just going to forget him? It's not easy enough so you're going to give up? I can't believe this! This is my son we're talking about! My son!" He was practically roaring now. His face was red and his eyes flashed dangerously. Hermione cowered under his nasty glare and replied meekly, "I never said we wouldn't look for him. Of course we will. We'll just need a little help getting started."
Draco calmed down and apologized to her quietly. "You're right, I'm sorry. I think we both know who can help us. Who knows more about Voldemort than any good person we know? Who led an entire Order plotting to destroy him?" Their eyes locked once more in silent agreement. Scrambling off the couch Hermione followed Draco who was already halfway to the portrait hole. First stop: Dumbledore's office.
***** *** *****
"Fizzing Whizzbee!" they both shouted together moments later as they approached the entrance to the Headmasters office. The stone steps appeared and they both raced up them, banging on the door as they reached the top. The door opened quickly and Dumbledore appeared in the doorway. He smiled briefly when he saw them standing there together but his face fell quickly as he saw the state that the two young wizards were in.
"Come in, come in, what's wrong?" the old man asked them quickly, a look of concern in his sparkling blue eyes. Draco couldn't seem to say the words aloud again so, taking a deep breath, Hermione looked Dumbledore square in the eyes and said, "Sir, we need your help. Justin Malfoy has been.... has been.... kidnapped. By Death Eaters, sir."
Dumbledore's blue eyes grew cloudy and anger blazed across them. Hermione, slightly afraid, backed away from the fury.
"How do you know?" he asked in a steely voice. Draco shakily held out the letter and replied in a small voice, "Here, sir, the letter from them." Dumbledore took the letter and scanned it quickly. His sharp gaze locked with Draco's and he asked, "Do you have any idea where they might be?"
"No, sir," Draco replied, cowering slightly under the Headmasters sharp stare. "We thought maybe you'd know...."
"Well, I may have one idea," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "It was one of the Death Eater headquarters. We uncovered it near the end of Voldemort's reign. It was deserted but it looked like they might be returning. Surrounded by spells, that place was, but we were able to break through them to find it. I don't believe they know that we discovered it so they may still think it's a secret place."
"Well what are we waiting for!" Draco practically yelled at the old man. "Let's get outta here! This is my son we're talking about!"
"Please stay calm Mr. Malfoy, we will leave as soon as I make the preparations. We can't just disappear from this school now, can we?" the Headmaster told him. Draco scowled but grudgingly agreed and the Headmaster swept out of the room followed closely by Draco and Hermione.
At the bottom of the winding staircase Dumbledore pointed his wand at his throat and muttered a spell. He then said, "All professors please report to the staff common room immediately. I repeat, all professors please report to the staff common room immediately." His voice magically echoed throughout the corridors and rooms.
The three of them quickly procedded to the staff common room and entered, Merl giving no comments at the sight of Dumbledore. Moments later the entire staff was assembled around a large table in the back. Dumbledore stood before them all at the head of the table, flanked on either side by Hermione and Draco. The teachers remained silent at the grave looks on their faces. Finally, Dumbledore spoke.
"There has been a kidnapping. Young mister Malfoy, Draco's six year old son, has been taken by the Death Eaters. They're goal is to turn his mind evil and we must not let that happen to his innocent mind. Draco, Hermione, and I must take a temporary leave of absence as we attempt to rescue Justin Malfoy."
The professors began murmuring slightly, fear and astonishment etched across some of their faces. Dumbledore waited for it to quiet down before speaking again.
"Minerva, you will take over the role of Headmistress while I am gone. Owl Professors Clarke and Williams about temporarily taking over the Defense Against the Dark Arts and the Charms lessons. They should be more than willing, I'm sure. Please also tell the students a liable excuse as I do not wish to worry them with all this Death Eater business. Now, the three of us must be leaving as quickly as possible so goodbye."
Dumbledore waited while Draco and Hermione scurried into their rooms to retrieve their cloaks and scarves. When they returned, Dumbledore hurried towards the portrait hole, Draco and Hermione quickly followed him once again. The three of them walked to the entrance of the school and emerged into the dark night full of bitter wind and swirling snow, bound for Hogmeade it seemed.
Upon arrival, Dumbledore suggested they find a warm place to stay for the night and begin early in the morning. Draco began to protest but Hermione shushed him. She knew that Dumbledore knew what he was doing and anyways, it was far too dangerous to be out in the pitch black night with the thick, churning snow blinding their vision.
They made their way quickly towards the nearest lodgings, a little hotel off a small side street. Hermione looked up to try and read the sign but snow made the name indecipherable. She didn't care really, she was already chilled right through to the bone and eager to enter any warmth, even the Hogs Head.
They entered the hotel and looked around, shivering. It was a small place but very cozy. The fire at the end of the room warmed the trio right up and they quickly shed their layers. Several chocolate brown couches and chairs were crowded around the fire, going nicely with the dark forest green walls. Books were stacked on dark wood bookshelves along one wall but Hermione didn't even feel the urge to read under these circumstances. At the other end of the room, beside a dark, winding staircase, a small, round, cheerful old witch sat behind a counter, deeply immersed in whatever she was writing. She looked up when the three entered and smiled broadly when she saw Dumbledore.
"Albus! How wonderful to see you! What brings you down from that wonderful school of yours? And on a Sunday night!" She scrambled to put on her glasses and peered up at Dumbledore. Her broad smile quickly left her face as she saw Dumbledore's expression. Before she could say anything, Dumbledore said to her, "We just need a room please Carliana. Any one will do, we will be leaving before the sun rises tomorrow."
"Oh of course, of course," she said, and hurried to look through her papers. "Ah, yes, room 7 is free. Just up the stairs and it's the second room on your left." She handed him the key then smiled feebly at him. "Enjoy your stay!"
Dumbledore strode up the stairs, key in hand and turned to the second door on their left. He unlocked it swiftly and walked into the room. Hermione emerged into it and glanced around. She would have been in awe of the beauty of it if the situation had been different. The walls were a dark eggplant colour and everything else in the room, including the three beds and all the bedcoverings, were a soft, silky white. A fireplace across from the beds made the room nice and toasty and a large window at the end of the room showed a view of the main street of Hogsmeade alight with many strings and colours of Christmas lights.
However, Hermione didn't register too much of this. She was exhausted and frightened. She took off her cloak, scarf, robes, and shoes, leaving them in a pile on the floor, and climbed into bed. Draco and Dumbledore followed suit and all three were in their beds, lights off, without a word spoken to each other. All three of them were silent, lost in their thoughts of what tomorrow would bring.
*****
Hermione opened her eyes in the early morning to dim light. It was obviously before sunrise as the stars glowed faintly still in the now clear sky. She slowly sat up, trying to figure out where she was. Then she looked to the side and in the dim light saw Draco, wide awake and staring at the ceiling, and remembered. She was at a hotel in Hogsmeade. Today they would start searching for Justin Malfoy.
As she went to swing her legs to the floor, her bed gave a small creak. Startled, Draco snapped his head in her direction. That was when Hermione noticed the deep bags under his still-hollow eyes. Apparently, he hadn't slept a wink last night. They stared at each other for a while longer in silence, not a word spoken, not even a 'morning'.
Hermione finally looked away and Draco returned his gaze to the ceiling, staring at it yet not really seeing it. Hermione got up and muttered a spell to make her bed. As the sheets, quilts, and pillows straightened themselves, she looked at her attire. She looked like she had just crawled out of the wrinkle bag so, even though what she looked like really wasn't an issue here, she muttered another quick spell that made her clothes neatly pressed and fresh smelling. She then turned and walked into the bathroom.
When she emerged, Draco had gotten up, made his bed, and made himself presentable. He had to look good for when they found his son. Hermione's gaze then traveled over to Dumbledore's empty, neatly made bed. She wondered where he could be. Just as this thought entered her mind, Dumbledore came bursting into the room.
"Are we ready to leave?" Dumbledore asked, gazing at the two young adults. They both answered yes, their voices cracking slightly as they had not been used for a little while. Dumbledore nodded his head at them and swept out the door, obviously expecting the two to follow. Hermione grabbed her cloak, scarf, and hat as Draco did the same and the two of them followed the Headmaster down the stairs, past the witch's empty desk and out into the early morning.
The sun was just beginning to peek above the mountains around them, turning the sky a light pink colour. The pink reflected on the blanket of sparkling fresh snow creating a breathtaking sight. However, none of them paid any attention whatsoever to it. Their focus was on locating Justin and returning him safely to Draco.
The day dragged on and on as they trudged through the knee deep snow, a slow process. The sun rose higher and higher into the sky until it was at its highest point. It was noon, but the trio didn't stop moving. They were much too cold for that.
The snow had soaked their cloak bottoms and robe bottoms and weighed them down, slowing them even more. With each step Hermione shivered more. The cold had seeped through her right to the core and to make matters worse the wind was beginning to pick up again, occasionally blowing snow off the ground into their vision. But still they trudged on, slowly and silently.
All during the morning they had walked across open areas with only the mountains around them. But now, as the sun began its descent in the sky, Hermione glimpsed a large cluster of trees in front of them. As they approached it, the cluster appeared to be much larger. It was in fact a vast stretch of woods and from the look of things, Hermione suspected that it was a deep and dense forest, much like the forbidden forest.
As the trudged throw the pile of snow towards it, Hermione was so cold that she irritated and frustrated. Frustrated that this was taking so long. Frustrated that she had to walk through the snow all this way. She kept these thoughts to herself, however, until something inside of her snapped.
"Why do we have to walk this way? Are we not magical? Do we not know how to Apparate? It's very useful you know, and quite warm to do so!" she burst out. Draco and Dumbledore stopped walking and turned towards her. Draco was pale and shivering, his teeth chattering violently. Dumbledore looked exhausted; he was, after all, extremely old. Suddenly Hermione felt ashamed. She wasn't the only one that was cold. She wasn't the only one that was tired. And this wasn't some silly little game; this was the life and innocence of a six year old boy in their hands.
As Hermione turned red, Dumbledore spoke gently to her. He knew that she knew she shouldn't have said that. But she did have a point and he did have a reason.
"There are countless spells around the entrance through which we must break. One of the spells is an anti-Apparation spell, much like the one at Hogwarts. You, I believe, have read Hogwarts: A History and should know much about this spell. So, the only thing we can do is walk in."
Hermione turned even redder and promptly pursed her lips together, knowing she should not say anything else. They needed to continue. So the three of them once again began their journey. They entered the forest and wound their way through trees, not following any path. But Hermione knew tat Dumbledore must know where he's going as he walked purposefully through the dense woods.
Suddenly, they stopped. Hermione saw Dumbledore reach out his hand hesitantly to the air in front of him. However, as his hand went forwards, a blue light shone around it, showing that there was, indeed, an invisible wall there.
"A complex shield charm, the first of many we must break through. However, each and every one of these charms requires plenty of power to break through them. It is one of the reasons why I am absolutely delighted that you are the ones here with me. You both were the cleverest students of your year, and two of the most powerful witches and wizards of your time." Dumbledore told them.
Hermione gaped at him. Her, powerful? Sure, she was smart, but that was brainy stuff. She certainly couldn't have much power in her small body. She quickly turned her attention back to Dumbledore, however, as he continued, "Now, I remember each and every one of the counter charms to break through all of the spells. Listen carefully. These spells are very, very powerful Dark magic and not many normal witches and wizards, however many there are, are able to break through one of them, let alone all of them. But I have full belief that you will be able to do it. You just must concentrate. I will tell you the words to say and you must concentrate very, very hard on destroying the Dark magic, breaking the spells, and rescuing young Justin."
With Dumbledore's words she knew she could do it. She had to. She had to save Justin. She determinedly nodded her head at Dumbledore and Draco did the same thing, his eyes suddenly set and determined, unwavering. Dumbledore smiled slightly at them at repeated the counter charm to them before turning back to the invisible shield and drawing his wand. Hermione and Draco followed suit and flanked Dumbledore on either side.
"On the count of three then," Dumbledore said. Hermione nodded to herself and closed her eyes. "One.... two....." Hermione pictured Justin in her mind. She pictured him running and laughing on the playground as she watched him from the window. She pictured him swimming on the lakes edge that day she first went sailing, splashing and laughing gleefully. She pictured him at her goodbye party, asleep on the rug, curled into the fetal position, and a smile on his face as he dreamt, his light blonde hair falling across his closed warm grey eyes. Then she pictured him being tortured by Death Eaters, them telling his he must be evil as he screamed for help. This scream rang through Hermione's head as Dumbledore said, "Three!"
Hermione felt the power surge through her body as she yelled out the words to destroy the Dark shield. She opened her eyes just as a dark pink light escaped her wand. It mixed with the dark green of Draco's and the dark, angry red of Dumbledore's spell and the three spells, now one, his the shield with huge amounts of power. The shield glowed blue for a moment until there was a blinding flash and the shield basically exploded in front of them. They shielded their eyes until the light faded. Hermione hesitantly looked up, blinking as spots appeared in her vision. The quickly disappeared and Hermione surveyed the scene in front of them. It looked oddly normal, just like a regular forest it seemed.
Dumbledore held up his hand and moved it forward slowly. It passed right through the place where the shield had stood moments before. Dumbledore turned to them grinning and Draco and Hermione both managed faint smiles before Draco set his eyes determined once more.
"That's only one gone. There's plenty more left between here and Justin. We can't waste any time," Draco said sternly to Dumbledore. The old wizard just nodded his head and the trio contined forwards, deeper into the heart of the forest.
One by one the two wizards and the one witch worked their way past the spells, disintegrating them as they went. Hours passed as they painstakingly moved forwards. The sun dipped lower and lower until it disappeard completely. Night was upon them but luckily the sky was clear and the moon shed enough light through the trees for them to work by.
They soon lost count of the numbers of charms they had broken. One would expect that the three would be drained of energy every time they did this. But for Hermione, as well as Draco and perhaps Dumbledore, it was odd. With each victory over the Dark magic, they felt stronger, more powerful, and more able to demolish the spells. And with every passing spell it became easier.
Suddenly, deep, deep into the woods, they came upon a spell that was so powerful you could feel the power radiating from it. Dumbledore suggested, "I feel Voldemort himself put power into this spell. It's the last one, after this, we're in. We must concentrate harder than ever before, throw our whole being behind the power of our charms. Only then will we be able to break the spell.
So without hesitation, the trio set themselves up. Dumbledore told them the counter charm and they all concentrated harder than aver before. As Dumbledore had told them, they threw everything into the power of this spell. Every power they had in their body. Magic, emotion, everything surged through their veins and into the charm.
Hermione was afraid to open her eyes after but Draco let out a triumphant yell, meaning they must have done it. She shot open her eyes and to her surprise, they had indeed. The two young adults turned to Dumbledore, wondering what was next. He said they had gotten through the last one, but where was the entrance? All that surrounded them were trees.
Dumbledore sensed their wonderment because he strode over to the largest tree in the area and motioned for them to follow. They gathered around the tree and watched as Dumbledore searched the bottom. Moving leaves and earth around he seemed to be looking for something. Finally he stopped and stepped back, pointing to a spot on the bottom of the tree in front of him.
Hermione looked around puzzled before she finally spotted it. A serpent, carved into a piece of bark near the roots. She gasped and heard Draco do the same as he too discovered it.
"We must all hold hands. Look deep inside yourself and find your innermost power. After that last counter charm you should be more powerful than you have ever been before. Take that power and draw it out through your hands. Force yours into the other people but don't let go. We will grasp each others power tightly, intertwining it with our own. Then, and only then, will we have created a circle of power strong enough to open this tree."
Hermione nodded firmly and grasped Draco's cold, trembling hand on one side and Dumbledore's warm, wrinkled one on the other side. When Dumbledore said it was time, she did as he had ordered. Deep inside herself she found her innermost power. She pulled this towards her hands and forced it into Dumbledore's and Draco's arms. She felt them grasp it as they forced their own into her body. She grabbed it and wound it tightly with her own, which she still had a firm grasp on. She knew nothing other than the intensity of the force traveling through her body. She vaguely heard Dumbledore muttering a Latin phrase and suddenly, a bright light glowed through her closed eyelids. But still she held strong.
"That will do, now draw your own power back inside you and let go of each others," Dumbledore said, and even as the words left his mouth she felt him tug back his power and let go of hers. Draco and Hermione did that same and finally, they all opened their eyes, separate once again.
Hermione gazed around her surroundings and when she saw the scene before her she let out a shuddering gasp and muttered, "Oh… my… God…."
AN- Soooooo long chapter huh? Didja like it? Did ya hate it? Well, I really would like to know and the only way for me to find out is for you to review! :) That would make me very happy, and happy me updates faster cuz I know you want to read the next chapter really soon! So please please please press the lil blue button that says 'go' beside 'submit review.' It's a happy lil button and LOVES to be pushed!!!! Yay! Ok, so I really hope you liked this chapter, it's getting good…… I hope! Ok, so review please! And while you're waiting for my next chapter go visit my Harry Potter forum! http://scribblingquill.proboards19.com/. Yay, it's fun, so go see! But review first! Ok, I'm outtie, cya! ~*~FieryPhoenix~*~