Chapter 17

Hermione raised her head and groaned. Where was she? Then everything came back in a flash, and her head began to ache. She slowly got to her feet, and realized that Draco was waking as well.

"God," he moaned. "I feel as if someone has hit me over the head with a cauldron."

"A minor side-effect," someone called from somewhere in the infirmary. "I assure you. The consequences of your actions, Ms. Granger, could have been far worse."

Hermione spun around to find Professor Dumbledore seated on a rickety brown chair in the corner, looking at her amusedly over the top of his half-moon glasses.

"Professor!" Hermione gasped. "What? How did you know?"

"Whenever a witch or wizard performs Necromancy, Hermione," Dumbledore explained patiently. "They die. Their soul leaves their body. When they return, their body has not had blood flow for some time, so it is painful to come back."

"So, I can really say I've gone to hell and back now," Draco said mischievously, though he was obviously in a great deal of pain. "And I wouldn't be lying."

"Unfortunately, Draco," Dumbledore said, suddenly solemn. "Ms. Granger's actions could have created serious problems for the both of you. Persephone is known for being kind to lovers seeking their partner, but Hades is not so compassionate. What if you had caught him on a bad day? No amount of Persephone's pleading could have released you, or Mr. Malfoy, from his grasp."

"I understand, Professor," Hermione replied quietly. "I wouldn't have done it without realizing the potential danger."

"Well, remember two galleons for Charon next time," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye, and then he walked out, humming slightly under his breath.

"How did he know?" Draco asked.

Hermione collapsed in her head, and wondered if it had been a dream. She knew that she had been asleep for some time, and she certainly felt as if she had been dead. She looked down at her feet, and realized, that her shoes were gone. Where were they, she wondered to herself.

Oh, right, she remembered. They were at the bottom of the River of Styx. She wasn't sure she was going to be able to explain this to her parents.

Draco was undressing that night to get ready for bed. His joints ached, his feet felt swollen. Something was wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He was about to pull on his nightshirt, when he realized that he had a funny scar on his stomach. He fingered it for a moment, trying to remember where he had gotten this strange scar in the shape of a snake. Then he remembered.

His father had pointed his wand at his stomach and said in a mocking tone, "Avada Kedavra."

Hermione skipped into the Commons Room, and found Harry and Ron hunched over their Divination homework.

"No, you're wrong," Ron said loudly. "The heart means true love, can't you see, you stupid ass."

"But when we used the Tarot cards, the question was about us, not Hermione and Draco, and the Lovers card showed up in the final outcome slot!" Harry replied tiredly. "Stop being so stupid and let me snog you."

"No, Harry," Ron said, though he looked sorely tempted. "Hermione will be coming down any minute-"

"Ahem." Hermione cleared her throat quietly, and they both jumped a foot in the air.

"She's already here," Harry said wryly.

"What are you two doing?" she asked, leaning over to look at what they were doing. Harry evasively slid it under him, and Ron deftly pushed the book under the couch.

"Nothing," they answered simultaneously.

She shrugged. "Guess what?" she said.

"What?"

"I died yesterday."

"So, you died yesterday?" Harry asked slowly, "and you and Draco came back from the dead around dinner time last night."

"Yes."

"Well…" Ron said with a tinge of doubt. "It sounds a bit preposterous Herm." He paused, seeing her expression. "But I'm sure it's possible."

"No, we already know its possible," Harry said thoughtfully. "But why Persephone allowed them to pass is beyond me."

"Didn't Dumbledore say once that it's impossible to bring someone back from the dead?" Ron asked loudly.

"Well, Draco wasn't all that dead," Hermione explained. "He was only forty-five minutes dead."
"So, I guess that means you can't bring Sirius back," Harry said glumly. "I was hoping that…."

"We know what you were hoping Harry," Hermione said gently, stroking his hair back from his eyes. "I'm sure he's in the Elysian Fields with your Dad and Mum."

"I guess I'll see him when I die," Harry said, trying to be cheerful, but failing miserably.

Hermione took her usual spot in Transfiguration next to Neville, and was taking out her book when Draco walked in with his Slytherin cronies. His eyes passed over her, and she thought she saw a glimmer of a smile, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come, and he glowered impressively in her direction.

Poor Professor McGonagall stifled a shriek when she walked into class and saw Draco Malfoy talking and breathing normally. She regained her calm with a blink of an eye, and without any explanation, launched into the lesson. Hermione could tell that the poor Assistant Headmaster was in shock.

"Hermione," Professor McGonagall said after class had ended. "May I have a word with you?"

Hermione shoved her many books into her already bursting bag and headed over to the Professor's desk. McGonagall had put away all of her materials and was sitting very rigidly as she always did, her hands folded neatly.

"I do hope you can explain Mr. Malfoy's recent reappearance," McGonagall said primly after the other students had filed out.

"I did a bit of illegal magic, Professor," Hermione said guiltily.

"What did you do?"

"Necromancy."

McGonagall shut her eyes, as if warding off evil. "And you and Draco survived this ordeal?"

"Yes, Professor."

"Does the Headmaster know of this?"

"He does, but not the whole story."

Professor McGonagall sighed and rubbed her temples. "Tomorrow you must tell him everything, and you had best not tell anyone about this. Necromancy is not something to be trifled with, and I am amazed that a witch of your age managed it. We do not want other students meddling with such an advanced section of magic, and it is remarkable that you have come through your ordeal unscathed."

"Not completely unscathed," Hermione said, remembering the harrowing flight from the Furies, the burning swim through the River Styx. "Hades made me promise I would perform further investigations on Necromancy, and that I would report my findings to the Ministry."

McGonagall shuddered, her lips pursed. "Hermione, I had hoped you would have a successful career of some sort, because of your talents and dreams. But, it seems that the God of the Underworld has other plans for you."

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