Chapter 19
The Dark Mark
"What are the three key ingredients in the Hair Coloring Potion?" Ron read unenthusiastically from the book in his lap and brushed his face with a feather quill.
"Mint astringent, red syrup, and purified water. I said hard questions! What kind of girl wouldn't know that!" snapped Hermione.
"I'm trying!" retorted Ron, "For your level, there are no hard questions, you get them all right!"
"Sorry…my head hurts," she said apologetically, and then turned to Harry, who was lying on the couch with his eyes closed, "Okay, Harry. What's the purpose of a Shuntwehl Charm?"
"Hmm…it shuns and twirls objects?" he said, with his eyes still shut. Ron sniggered, but Hermione did not find it amusing.
"Would you get up and get serious! You have to study or you'll fail!" she scolded him.
"No, I won't. I have it all planned out. George promised to owl me some of their teacher-proof Recall Remedies. It's supposed to make you remember everything that's ever entered your head about that subject when it's exam time."
"Harry! You can't take that rubbish and break the rules! You'll get caught!"
"Look who's talking! You spent the whole night in a forbidden room with Ron and you're telling me not to break rules?"
"Harry, shh!" groaned Hermione, flustered by his recklessness. She highly regretted that Ron had let Harry in on his surprise present, because when Ron hadn't returned to his dormitory that night, Harry had figured it out. Hermione was pretty sure Parvati and Lavender knew too, since she and Ron had overslept until eight o' clock.
Two months had passed after that day, and she was acting a bit strange near Ron. Well, she wouldn't call it strange, but how she would have been acting around him in the beginning of the school year when she didn't start making out with him anywhere and everywhere. Kissing was one thing, but having sex was completely different. It was like they were married.
"Why are you making us study now? N.E.W.Ts are ages away!" complained Ron, shutting his book.
"A month is hardly ages away, Ron. Do you realize we have to cover everything we've ever learned in the past seven years?"
Harry rolled his eyes, and at that moment, Ginny appeared into view, looking furious. Her hair was drenched wet, coated with a color of puke green, but to Hermione's amazement, her skin was perfectly dry.
"What happened to you?" said Ron, laughing.
"Peeves! He threw a bucket of green slime on me! I can't get it out of my hair! I swear, the next time I see that wretched poltergeist again-"
"I know what's wrong. Come here." said Hermione calmly. Ginny sat down across from Hermione and swooped her slimy hair forward.
"Tergeo!" Ginny's hair went back to its ruby color and she touched it with her hands happily.
"Thanks a bunch! So what's up?" she said, budging Harry so he would make more space on the couch, and assembled down next to him.
"Hermione's training us for the ultimate test of our lifetimes." said Harry sourly, taking the book off his lap and straightening up, "And as for me, a very SHORT lifetime."
"What are you on about?" asked Hermione, wondering where that sentence had come from.
"Voldemort, Death Eaters, and all of the excitement revolving my dangerous but exhilarating life. I'll be surprised if I even make it to the N.E.W.Ts. Something always happens during this time of the year, and you know it will this year too."
"Don't talk like that," commanded Hermione, "nothing is going to happen to you. The castle is guarded and the forest is guarded, so no one will be able to get to you or that Crystal and try to kill you."
"Death Eaters can do anything," said Harry seriously, "they could kill all the guards and then lure me there and kill me."
"Lighten up, mate, you have a lot of time to worry about that later." said Ron reassuringly.
"And besides, they can't kill you. You're practically immortal." Hermione pointed out.
"Come again?" said Ginny, joining the conversation, and amazed at what Hermione had just said.
"She didn't know. Good job, Hermione." said Ron tartly. He gave her a cross look.
"I don't know what? Tell me!" Ginny whined.
"I'm not saying it…it's too painful to even think about it." said Hermione, "Harry can do that."
"Yeah…" agreed Ron.
"All right." said Hermione, as she turned to Ron, "Back to our little studying game."
"'Mione! I think that's more than enough for tonight. Listen to me: N.E.W.Ts are exactly…46 days away. That's one and a half months."
"Fine. But don't come crying to me later for seven years worth of History of Magic notes." snarled Hermione, and buried her face in her notes. She repeated the sentences about the different Charms inside her head and cast criticizing looks to Ron and Harry, who were now playing Gobblestones. Apparently, it looked like Harry hadn't told Ginny about the prophecy yet, and wondered if he was ever going to. Ginny had gotten out a comb and was brushing her hair feverishly.
Ron gave loud shouts of triumph and Harry cackled like a madman. Hermione thought that they had finally grown up, but obviously she was wrong. She rolled her eyes and got to her feet.
"I'll be studying in my room. Good night everyone." Hermione ascended up the stairs and went in her room. She turned the lamp on with a flick of her wand and settled on the bed.
Hermione wanted to curse herself for putting off her studying for so long. Now that she observed all the material she had to study, she wished she still had her Time Turner so she could go back in time and do two or maybe even three things at once. For two hours, she studied parts of her Charms and Transfiguration notes, two of her easiest subjects. When her severe headache reached its limit, she shut the books and turned off the light. Lying flat on the bed, she stared off into the black ceiling.
Sleep intoxicated her right away and she felt herself traveling through a series of dreams. Professor McGonagall, dressed in a shocking pink swimsuit, told her that she had failed all of her N.E.W.Ts and was heading off to Yugoslavia for a swimming competition. Later, Ron appeared and struck Hermione violently with his broomstick and said that Ginny had dared him to do it or she would use the Bat-Bogey Hex on him.
Hermione rolled her body to the other side, trying to return to a peaceful sleep, but instead, she found herself visioning another dream. It was once again in the Forbidden Forest, between the thick trees and a heavily moist atmosphere, but she wasn't the one in it. Hermione was looking down below at the scene, in where a black hooded figure was striding with a quick pace in a dug-in tunnel about ten feet below ground, crouching his head carefully as he walked. The narrow path seemed to continue forever, and in midway, the figure stopped unexpectedly. The layer of dirt above his head shook slightly, as if someone was walking above ground, and parts of it sprinkled on top of the person's hood. He stood there for a moment and held his breath, not daring to make a single sound, and then suddenly, he sneezed.
To Hermione's astonishment, the noise above ground ceased. The figure went on. She eagerly watched and was dying to know what he was going to reach. The Death Eater walked until he reached the end of the tunnel and came to an abrupt stop. Nothing happened for a few seconds. He touched the soggy dirt wall and then out of nowhere, a primeval door unveiled itself in front of him, causing him to retrieve his hand as if it had been struck with a lightning bolt. GRYFFINDOR was written on the top of the door with a symbol of a lion underneath, and below that was SLYTHERIN, followed by the image of a serpent. The figure reached out his hand to touch it, and just at the wrong time, the image in Hermione's eyes dissolved slowly.
Her eyes opened. Hermione looked to her left and right and saw that she had returned to her room. She was wide awake now, feeling like she had gulped down two hundred cups of coffee. Her body toppled off the bed in a flash.
Someone was trying to break in that room where the Crystal of Invincibility was! She had to tell Dumbledore. As she pulled a cloak over herself and headed out the room armed, she stopped abruptly. How did she know that a Death Eater was actually attempting to break in? None of her other dreams had come true, so this could have been a dream after all…
Hermione didn't have prophetic visions like Harry, or did she? All of the previous ones of Ron and the Forbidden Forest were enough to make her keep going down the gloomy corridor.
What if the Death Eater got inside and stole that Crystal. It would basically be the end of the world. But he can't get into it that easily, it would be ridiculous. The teachers must have it guarded like they did with the Sorcerer's Stone years ago. To put that Crystal so close to Hogwarts was the most risky thing ever, and she didn't know what Dumbledore must have been thinking when he put it there. It was an invitation for danger.
Hermione rushed past the common room and headed to the Fat Lady's portrait, and was about to walk out when she heard a voice behind her, "Whoa, whoa, where are you going?"
A messy-haired Harry approached the portrait and looked at her with heavy-lidded eyes.
"Wait-you had the same vision thing, didn't you?" said Hermione, coming into realization.
"If you mean a hooded Death Eater underground, then yeah."
"Let's go! We have to tell Dumbledore!" she pushed open the portrait and rushed down the stairs.
"Hold it!" Harry commanded her, and she obeyed, "What?"
"How do you know it was real? It could have been-"
"Harry, we had the same dream at the same time. Don't you think that's a little coincidental?" she explained to him as calmly as she could.
"You're right. Let's go." He said, and followed her down the stairs. She lighted her wand and saw they were now in the rear end of the third corridor.
"What if Filch sees us?" said Harry in an intimidating voice.
"That's better, then. He'll take us to a teacher anyway, but I doubt they're awake."
Harry began to open his mouth to say something but instead, he shrieked in pain.
"Harry! Shhh!" She put a finger to her lips, but that did not help, since she could still hear Harry groaning. She turned to him and saw him clutching his scar.
Hermione's eyes widened.
"No, no…not again…Harry, snap out of it!" she said dominatingly, and gently slapped his face back and forth. It worked. He snapped out of it and released his hands and looked at her.
"You okay?" inquired Hermione, a bit apprehensive of Harry.
"Yeah…I'm fine…"
"What in the devil was that about?"
"I dunno…"
Hermione glanced at him worryingly as they strolled ahead. Well, at least he didn't go ballistic and attack me this time.
"What makes you think Dumbledore will be awake at this hour?" Harry spoke, coming back to their prior subject.
"He's always awake." said Hermione, thinking about last year when she had barged in Dumbledore's office at three in the morning and he had been chatting with the portraits. Hermione wondered if he ever slept. Ten minutes had passed and she desperately hoped that the Death Eater hadn't gotten in.
They reached the stone gargoyle and stood there dumbly. Realization hit Hermione; they didn't know the password.
"Er-Caramel Toffee?" Harry guessed, but the stone gargoyle didn't budge. "Uh…Hermione, think candy."
"Erm-okay-Chocolate Frog, Cockroach Cluster, Lemon Drop, Craving Candy, Hot Tamale, Bertie's-" She cut off her random listing of candies because the stone gargoyle moved aside and the door opened. Stepping off the mobile staircase were Dumbledore and Snape, looking grave as they talked and stepped off the stairs.
They stopped. Dumbledore didn't seem the least bit surprised at the sight of them, but Snape snarled, "Potter! Granger! Out of bed? Det-"
"Severus." said Dumbledore, holding up his hand, "Calm down. I'm sure Harry and Hermione have a perfectly good explanation for roaming about the castle at this time."
"Yes, we think someone's trying to break into that secret room and get the Crystal-" Hermione said in one breath but Dumbledore held up his hand again and silenced her.
"What you have seen in your dreams is accurate. More members of the Order were sent to the forest, but the culprit escaped. Unfortunately, that is not the only bad event that has taken place tonight."
They looked questioningly at him.
"Two of the members of the Order are dead, and the Death Eaters have escaped Azkaban."
Harry and Hermione faced each other, horrified at what they had just heard. Hermione prayed to go that it wasn't anyone she knew. She was just about to ask them who was dead, but Snape spoke, "You two are to go to bed right now, and don't leave your dormitories for any reason."
"But-" Harry protested, however, this time Dumbeldore agreed with Snape, "Professor Snape is right, you must go back to your dormitories. It is too dangerous, and for all we know, they could be coming here."
…
Nothing of the sort happened. The next morning, Hermione, Ron, and Harry sat at their House table, anxiously waiting for her Daily Prophet to arrive. They desperately wanted to know who had died, but Hermione wasn't as worried as them. If they were Ron's family, Lupin, or anyone else that they were close to, she was sure that Dumbledore would have told them.
Time seemed to have slowed down considerably as the three of them sat there, fiddling their thumbs and not touching their breakfast.
The owls finally came fluttering inside, carrying certain boxes and newspapers, and Hermione extended her hands to catch the Daily Prophet from the usual tiny chestnut owl that came everyday.
She smoothed it out on the table, and a bold headline on the top of the paper stood out:
MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN:
MISTRESS OF MAGIC TAKES ACTION
The Ministry of Magic announced early this morning that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban, a situation most similar from two years ago when six You-Know-Who's supporters escaped Azkaban but were prosecuted once again three months later.
The Mistress of Magic, Amelia Bones, quotes: "We advise the magical community to remain calm and we assure everyone that You-Know-Who's supporters will find their way back to Azkaban soon."
The top Aurors have been sent out for search and if anyone sees one of these specified wizards below, please inform the Ministry at once…
There was more, but Hermione's eyes trailed down to the bottom of the newspaper. First in line of the pictures was Antonio Doholov, the Death Eater who had cursed her unconscious. Hermione could recall that day so perfectly…the dark atmosphere cornering her and becoming more dangerous as twelve Death Eaters surrounded her…a tall figure in a black hood who knocked her down with a swishing purple flick…she'd fainted after that and then the next thing she had visualized had been the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts. Because of him, she had to spend almost a month there.
The next one was Lucius Malfoy, a sleek blond-haired man with malevolent gray eyes, and Hermione could see that Azkaban had sucked the life out of him; there were dark bags under his eyes and his bones stand out, appearing as if he hadn't eaten in months. Draco's resemblance of him was more striking than before, and this thought made her wonder if Draco knew about his father's escape yet. She turned to examine the Slytherin table far away and saw him reading something intensely. So he knows.
"Hey! I was still reading that!" grunted Ron, as Hermione turned to the next page.
"Hold on…I want to see if there's anything in here about the Order first." she said distractedly. She was now scanning the third page but there was nothing about any deaths or anything else that was unusual, only some rubbish about the Quidditch match of Tornados against Cannons.
"Nothing," she said after she was done searching, "Nothing about the Or-people or deaths."
"Should we do some investigating-spying?" whispered Ron.
"No!" said Hermione disapprovingly, "Just leave it to me. I'll find out who it was."
…
"Ms.Granger, would you please pay attention to what you're doing and stop staring at my desk as if it were Mr.Weasley!" snapped Professor McGonagall. Hermione jumped and quickly set her eyes back to the parchment in her hand. She was in the middle of her Animagi lesson and was supposed to read some procedures of turning a person's appearance by wand and then was to perform it successfully. Hermione wished she was a Metamorphagus like Tonks.
Those untitled books had attracted her attention. They were STILL sitting on the left side of her teacher's desk after so many months. This proved that they were significant and Hermione wanted a look at them.
"Sorry, Professor." she mumbled, and wondered why McGonagall had left the books out so openly if she didn't want Hermione to see them, "May I ask a question?"
"Yes?" she said, facing the other way.
"I wanted to know-well, Professor Dumbeldore didn't get the chance to tell us-who were the two Order members that died?"
Her teacher faced her with a dead serious expression, "Mundungus Fletcher and Emmeline Vance, but you didn't hear it from me."
Oh no…Mundungus…Even though she hadn't known him that well or that long, warm tears still clouded her eyes. The death of any person in the world would make her grieve, especially if they were killed by the hands of evil.
"I'm heading to the Library for something. Stay here and finish looking over that," said Professor McGonagall strictly, "and don't touch anything."
Hermione nodded and McGonagall was gone in a flash. A moment later, she put the parchment down and stuck her head out the door to check if McGonagall was truly gone. She was. Hermione went to the desk and reached her hand out to open the book, but stopped. She couldn't risk McGonagall walking in on her and catching her. She hesitated.
Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. She could duplicate the books and put one copy in her bag. Aiming the wand at the books, she mumbled, "Duplico!" and heard a thud in her bag.
Professor McGonagall didn't return for five minutes, and during that time, Hermione acted like a good girl and studied her material. With a swish of a cloak at the door, her teacher appeared with more scrolls of parchment clutched to her hands.
Thankfully, the lesson ended a few minutes after; it had been as boring as a typical History of Magic class. Ron and Harry might think she liked listening to lectures and taking notes, but that was definitely was not the case. One of her mottos in life was 'knowledge is power' and from where she was sanding in the knowledge department, she could overpower almost any student. She had to take those notes and listen attentively in order to learn.
Unfortunately, she had Head Girl duties to get to right away and as her stomach pained with hunger, she wondered when she would get to eat. Today, Hermione had to go to the dungeons for the third time in a row and grade papers. Snape must really be slacking off, she thought, but then again, he was in charge of the DA, taught Harry Occlumency, and was a member of the Order…
No one was in Snape's classroom when she entered it and she took a seat in her regular spot in the front. When she entered it, she took a seat in her regular spot in the front. When Hermione unrolled the first parchment, she saw that she was dealing with first years' work with short answer questions.
As she was tiredly reading an answer about the Befuddlement Potion, Draco came in, playing with the Golden Snitch.
"Draco!" complained. He gave her an innocent look, "What?"
Hermione opened her mouth to yell at him, but closed it. She had just partly stolen some books, after all.
"Never mind."
Draco shrugged his shoulders and then let the Snitch loose from his palm. It elevated and twirled past him. He went after it and caught it triumphantly.
"Are you going to keep playing with that or help me?" She pointed to the stack of papers on her desk.
"Whatever you say." he drawled and finally sat down. The Snitch fluttered its wings around the room.
Hermione gave Draco a calculated look and guessed that he was happy that his father escaped. She didn't know whether to contradict his feelings or accept them. She would be happy if her Dad had gotten out of jail, wouldn't she?
"I take it you know about the breakout?" he said casually, dipping his quill in the ink pot.
"Erm-yeah" said Hermione, directing her eyes toward her parchment.
"The Ministry raided our whole house this morning…took everything for examination…Like Dad would be dull enough to go back there." said Draco sardonically.
A rush of sympathy ran through Hermione. She couldn't imagine having all of her treasures and possessions taken to look at. Well, her diary should give her an idea.
"Oh, I'm sorry…what about your mother? Are they questioning her?"
"No. It doesn't really matter because she doesn't know anything anyway."
"Do you?" said Hermione without thinking, wanting to take it back. She didn't want to put Draco in an awkward position.
Draco gave her a hard stare, "As difficult as it is to believe, no."
By the look in his eyes, she could tell that he was lying. However, there was another question Hermione was craving to ask, but it would be going too far.
Draco smiled gloomily and said, "Go ahead. I know you're dying to ask me."
Hermione was surprised; was he a Legilimens? Well, if he was giving her a chance, she might as well ask.
"Are you a…?"
Draco peered past the flying Snitch to the door to check that no one was there, then said, "Don't tell Potty or even your lover boy Weasley, although they can surely guess it."
"Don't say that-" Hermione started, but shut up. Draco was taking off his cloak.
"What are you doing." marveled Hermione, pushing her chair back.
"Don't get so excited. I'm wearing clothes underneath. I want to show you something." He threw off his cloak to reveal a short-sleeved black shirt and jeans. He pulled up his right sleeve.
Hermione gazed in horror at the Dark Mark pasted on his upper arm. It was in the shape of a coiled serpent and was a color of fading gray. So this confirmed it. Draco was a Death Eater.
"See, it's fading." Draco rubbed it softly with his fingers but the Dark Mark stayed there. He was right…the mark should have been darker than that from what she had read in the books.
"It keeps on getting lighter by the day. I figured you would know why."
Hermione didn't know for a fact, but she had a general idea why, "Maybe…your humanity is increasing, so the mark is fading…?"
Draco stared at her incredulously, "Is that even possible?"
"Which part?' she asked. Did Draco actually refuse to believe that his humanity could increase?
"Both."
"Yes…I think it is," confirmed Hermione, "Draco, you should tell Snape."
"Are you nuts? He'd probably turn me in Azkaban!"
"No he wouldn't…he was once a Death Eater, after all, he should know exactly how and why that mark fades away."
Draco gazed at her in amazement, "How did you know Snape was a Death Eater?"
"This is Hermione you're talking to. I've known since fourth year. I still think you should tell Snape."
"And have the Dark Lord slaughter me in pieces? I don't think so. He'll kill me anyway, if he sees this." Draco put a finger on his arm.
"Then tell Dumbledore-"
He laughed, "That's worse. I told you because I trust you. Don't tell anyone. If you find anything else about it, tell me. Deal?"
He held out his hand, and Hermione shook it. In flight of all these deaths and breakouts, she was happy that Draco had proved to have some good left in side of him, and now it was blossoming like flowers.