"Draco, could you pass the salt?" Pansy Parkinson asked, yawning as he handed it to her. "Thanks." she said, pouring a good amount all over her plate and eyeing it with a very obvious look of disgust. "The food here is just awful. If I'd went to Durmstrang like mother had told me to, they'd never try and shove this slop down our throats."
He nodded agreement politely, before hungrily digging into his own plate of scrambled eggs. A part of him could understand Pansy's point… his father had wanted him to go to Durmstrang as well, though his mother had stepped in and told him she wouldn't have it. Mother had loved Hogwarts, and didn't want Draco to feel like they were sending him away. Fat chance of that… he laughed bitterly, taking a sip of butterbeer to chase away all thoughts of home. One of the seventh years had enchanted the Slytherin mugs to serve it at every meal a few weeks back... classic end-of-year behavior, much to his delight.
He stabbed into his eggs, grinning at Pansy who was still pushing them around her plate. They weren't all that bad, actually… there were so many house-elves here, they had to be doing something. Spying Hermione out of the corner of his eye, laughing tiredly at the Gryffindor table, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt, remembering her S.P.E.W campaign from a while back. But they were happy, and at the moment he was higher on the food chain… and it was much, much too early to think about those kinds of things.
"Draco, what are you doing this summer?" Crabbe muttered. Actually, Draco was fairly sure he hadn't meant to mutter, but some things couldn't be helped.
"Going home, what else? Father hasn't planned any trips that I'm aware of… and none of your parents should either. You never know when you'll be called." he winced, looking down at the bare spot on his inner forearm, a spot that would soon be scarred for life. Pansy sighed, a hint of worry coming to her eyes.
"It's only our sixth year, Draco… you don't think…"
"I do think." he said firmly, trying to hide his own fear. He didn't want to frighten Pansy any more. "He's growing stronger, and he'll need all the help he can get. What makes you think he wouldn't recruit inside Hogwarts? My father's already set up a meeting with him."
"Oh, Draco." Pansy said, raising a hand to her lips, the usual sick, honey-sweet tone gone from her voice. He knew Pansy had more to her than the airs she'd been putting on lately- they'd known each other practically since birth. "Please, be careful. The Dark Lord knows I'll put myself in his service whenever he calls on me, but I don't think I'm ready now-"
"I'm ready, Pansy." he told her, putting a comforting hand over hers. "And I'll be fine. We're on the winning side, right? There's nothing to worry about."
Comforted, if only slightly, the sixth year Slytherins went about their usual breakfast, failing to notice the fuming brunette Gryffindor burning holes in their backs with her deep brown eyes.
Hermione flushed bright red in anger, watching Draco as he slid his hand over Pansy's at the Slytherin table, putting on a valiant face. What did he think he was playing at? What now, was he going around recruiting girls to come visit him over the summer? She should have known this was just a trick, that he was only using her-
"What's got you all riled up, Mione?" Ginny asked, interrupting her thoughts. Hermione instantly snapped to attention, willing the red to disappear from her cheeks.
"Oh, it's nothing-"
"Nothing, my arse." Ron said, biting into his eggs, and continuing with his mouth half full. "I saw you looking over at the Slytherin table, Hermione. Now is there something you want to tell us?"
She froze in shock at his words, her mind racing. Did he know? Did they all know? How could they know? She and Draco had been discreet about meeting, not even talking to each other outside of places they knew to be secure- had they used the invisibility cloak? Spied on her? What exactly had they heard? All of it?
"I- I don't know what you're talking about, Ron." she stammered, not meeting his eyes. She tried to tell herself to stay calm, but felt her cheeks heating up anyway. Harry snorted.
"Don't be silly, Hermione. You've changed a lot over the past few years…" he smiled warmly at her, eyes twinkling. "We've all changed, come to think of it."
"So… so you're okay with it?" she asked, eyeing them all thoughtfully. Ron grinned at her.
"Why wouldn't we be okay with it? Never let it be said that the Fearless Foursome isn't up for a new plot to make life hell for the Slytherins- I'd enjoy seeing Malfoy livid one last time before break."
Hermione laughed with the others, playing along. Inwardly she heaved a sigh. Whether it was out of relief or sadness, she couldn't tell.
She wanted to tell the others- the 'Fearless Foursome' as people had come to call them- what she was doing. But half their purpose as a group was to fight to protect Harry and the rest of the wizarding world against Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters. She didn't think it would go over well if she told them she was going to spend the summer pretending to be one. She just felt unsafe, leaving for the summer to live a life of danger, and have no one know where she was or why they couldn't contact her.
She just wanted someone she could trust. Someone who would understand being torn between the two worlds… someone who would want to help a young girl in need. Suddenly, it dawned upon her. Severus Snape was the answer to all her problems.
And she had double detention with him in about eight hours.
"… so, naturally, I want to test Draco's theory out."
"I'm taking her home with me this summer, Professor, to do a little bit of schooling on my side. I'll be getting the dark mark, this year… at least I think… and she'll be able to see exactly what it's like."
Draco and Hermione paused in their account, looking to Professor Snape, who hadn't said a word thus far. His almost-black eyes darted back and forth between the two entirely opposite students… thinking. Calculating. Deciding whether to tell Dumbledore, perhaps? Deciding to kill Malfoy on the spot? Tell Lucius? Or, least likely of all, at least in Hermione's mind- help them. She knew Snape didn't like her, but surely he could respect what they were trying to accomplish. Surely, out of anyone, he'd understand. Finally, he broke eye contact, looking down at his desk and shaking his head.
"You're both very, very foolish."
Hermione and Draco shared a worried look.
"You do realize how difficult it'll be for me to set things in order?"
Draco laughed, relieved, taking Hermione's hand under the table. It sent shivers down her spine… just the miniscule show of affection from him. Draco had always been so cold, to her and everyone else. Was she changing him?
Was that a good thing?
"So you'll do it, then?" Draco asked, barely able to contain his enthusiasm.
"You can be my niece, Miss Granger… at Durmstrang. Of course, we'll have to fix your looks… brown hair and freckles won't do. But if I mix the potions, you'll only have to take it once a week. And, of course, the memory charms- we can start working now. Mr. Malfoy, fetch me Slistarch root, and powdered Kurlac… Miss Granger, two rat's tails and a couple dried cockroaches…"