A/N: Well, I got a couple responses to continue this (thanks for reviewing)...so I guess I will...and the next day too! Weird for me I know.
Disclaimer: I do not own it ok?
Hermione squeezed her eyes shut as she waited for Malfoy to hit her with a curse. When nothing happened she carefully peeked one eye open to see what he was doing. His smirk had changed from evil to amusement as he stared at the cringing witch in front of him.
"What I would have given to have you in this position ten years ago. Really Granger I had expected more of a fight out of you," Draco said casually.
"Well Malfoy as you so observantly noticed I seem to be without a wand or even back up, so there is not much left for me to do is there?" Hermione said glaring at the wizard in front of her.
Hermione took in Draco's appearance and what she saw shocked her. His hair was cut short and wasn't at all neat like he used to keep it. His nose was crooked, it had obviously been broken several times. He had a thick scar above his left eye and another scar ran down his right cheek. His once vibrant grey eyes had lost their spark, and he had several pre-mature wrinkles on his face.
Live in hiding had not been kind to the Slytherin Prince. Despite his change in appearance he still held onto his trademark smirk. That infuriating "I-am-greater-than-the-world" smirk. Hermione really hated that smirk.
"I thought agents of the Order were required to know wandless magic before being allowed out in the field," Draco said.
"We are, but I'm too far from my wand to be able to call it, and wandless magic can only do so much against an armed opponent!" Hermione spat. Then her eyes opened wide in surprise. "How did you know about the..." She trailed off.
"You're not the only one with spies Granger. One of your 'agents' actually works for me"
"But the secret binding...how did he get passed that?" Hermione asked almost panicked. If Malfoy knew about the Order, then how many others did as well?
"She was never actually bound to the secret. Someone messed up and she can talk about it all she wants," Draco said triumphantly.
"Who?" Hermione asked while trying to ignore the nausea growing in her stomach.
"Now what would be the purpose in telling you that?" Draco asked. "Either you'll execute her for telling, or you'll obliterate her mind and remove her from the Order, or you'll just re-administer the binding and in any case I would lose an important informate."
"Well what harm would there be in telling me since I am about to die anyway?" Hermione asked.
Draco frowned.
"Who said anything about killing you? I may be a lot of things Granger but I am not a murderer."
"Liar!" Hermione spat. "You seem to be forgetting something that happened about seven years ago." Draco looked shocked for a moment.
"I didn't kill Dumbledore Granger, Snape did. Everyone knows that."
"But if it hadn't been for you Snape never would have felt obligated to go back to Voldemort. He did it because of you, and then there was no turning back for him."
"Obviously, since your little army killed him before even giving him a trial!"
"We were at war Malfoy. He was killing people left and right. Harry had shown me a curst to use when it was necessary...he had to be stopped!"
"Oh, so you're the one who finished him off. Who's the murderer now?"
"Technically he died from complications of the hex I put on him, but yes. I was responsible. That does not make me a murderer. You are just as much to blame as I am! If you hadn't-"
"Silencio!" Draco shouted angrily. "Stop telling me things I already know Granger! I know it is my fault Dumbledore is dead. I know it is my fault Snape is dead! I know that if I had never been born a lot more people would possibly be alive right now. I know I know I KNOW!" Draco stopped and took a deep breath.
"My father started poisoning my mind the day I was born. He told me it was my duty to follow the Dark Lord and hate all those who opposed him. He told me to hate anyone not of purebolood because I was better than they were, and they were not fit to even be in my presence.
"I grew up hearing all these things. Then I went away to school, and my father told me to hate anyone not in Slytherin, and most importantly I was to hate Dumbledore. He was destroying everything purebloods worked for and had contributed to the fall of our Lord.
"I was an arrogant mis-informed prat and I am truly sorry for all the grief I have caused in the past." Draco lifted the hex off Hermione.
"Malfoy I-"
"Just leave Granger. Please," he said stepping aside so she could pass. She had just opened her mouth to say something when in stormed a group of wizards with their wands outstretched.
"Stupefy!" screamed the leader a red bolt of light shot at Draco. Surprised he was unable to dodge it and he crumpled to the ground in a heap.
"Harry wait!" Hermione screamed running up to him.
"Hermione! Are you all right? Did he hurt you?" Harry asked concern filling his eyes.
"No Harry but-"
"We waited for you for nearly an hour. Dover here went searching for you and found your wand. We feared the worst," Harry said pulling her into a hug.
"I'm fine Harry really. The lay outs weren't as accurate as we thought. I ended up getting stuck in one ward, and then I was hit by another and I dropped my wand. Before I could Accio it I was thrown down a chute and dumped here. I was about to run out but then Malfoy suddenly appeared and there was no way around him." At the mention of Draco's name Harry remembered the petrified man.
"Lucky for him he didn't hurt you otherwise I would have killed him on the spot. I am glad your all right Hermione," Harry said. Then he walked over to the crumpled form of Draco and kicked him hard in the ribs. "For seven years you've somehow slipped past me Malfoy. Seven FUCKING YEARS! I don't know how you did it, but that doesn't matter anymore. We have you now, and you are going to pay for everything you've done. Take him!" Harry said to the group of wizards behind him. They moved forward and one of them petrified Draco. Then they levitated him and walked him down the tunnel and out of the building past the apparition wards. He was taken directly to Azkaban where he would be held until his trial.
Hermione had stayed quiet through the whole thing. After Draco had been taken away Harry turned to her.
"Are you sure you're all right?" He asked. Hermione nodded her head as tears slid down her cheeks.
"He could have killed me Harry. I was wandless and alone. He could have finished me off but he didn't. Why didn't he?" She asked. Harry shook his head and put his arm around her shoulders.
"I don't know. Come, let's get you home," Harry said handing her her wand. Together they walked outside then apparated to Hermione's apartment. Harry led Hermione over to the couch then sat her down.
"I'm going to go put some tea on and then call Arthur to let him know what happened," he said. Hermione nodded and Harry walked away leaving her to her thoughts.
So many different things were racing through Hermione's head. How long had Malfoy known about them? How many others knew? If he had an informant how come he didn't know that they were after him? Why had he not hurt her, and what had he been trying to tell her before Harry and the others came in? It almost sounded like he had been trying to justify his actions for the past. He had apologized...but had he been sincere? Hermione was pulled out of her thoughts by a loud pop and then someone rapping sharply on her apartment door.
"It's probably Arthur," Harry said as he ran to open the door. Sure enough before Harry even reached the door it flew open and in walked a very worried Arthur Weasley.
"Hermione dear Harry told me what happened! Are you all right?" he asked hurrying to her side. Hermione nodded.
"Yes Arthur don't worry, he didn't hurt me at all." Hermione said smiling at Arthur's concern. Since the war ended Arthur had become a kind of father figure to Hermione and in the absence of his wife he had taken over her job of worrying.
"Well did he say anything to you to incriminate himself?" Arthur asked.
"No," Hermione replied. "Nothing." Arthur frowned.
"Did you find any evidence then? Any sign of illegal activity?"
"No," Hermione sighed.
"Well tomorrow we'll start the interrogation, and the DEC is headed over to his place to search for evidence. If we don't find anything though I'm afraid we'll have to release him. We don't actually have enough to hold him right now, but we're making an exception considering the circumstances," Arthur said looking pointedly at Harry.
"Arthur, I'd like to be part of the interrogation team," Hermione said. Arthur shook his head.
"I'm afraid that's out of the question Hermione. You're supposed to be living a quiet lifestyle while working at the joke shop remember?"
"Yes, and then I find out that the man responsible for the death of Dumbledore has been caught. It doesn't sound at all suspicious Arthur. Please!" Arthur smiled at Hermione's pleading face.
"Well I still think you should let the DEC handle this, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have you asking him questions too. No hexing him though or I will have to have you removed got it?" Hermione nodded.
"If she's going then I am too!" Harry said.
"No Harry, you are not!" Arthur said.
"But why not?" Harry asked.
"Because we have a prisoner right now with three broken ribs. That is why not."
"Injuries from the fight," Harry said looking away.
"Harry you know just as well as I do that those injuries did not come from any struggle. Now there will be no arguing about it. We'll leave this project up to Hermione."
"Fine," Harry said looking slightly angry.
"Wait a minute I just remembered something!" Hermione said looking almost panicked. "Arthur he knew!"
"Knew what dear?"
"About the Order, he knew about us somehow. There's an informant among us. Someone who didn't receive the binding properly...a girl...we've got to find her and then find out who else knows!" Arthur looked at Hermione in shock.
"He told you this?" Hermione nodded. "I'm sorry to have to do this to you two since you just finished one assignment, but we've got to bring everyone in for questioning. Including those agents out on assignment right now. We can't miss a single person," Arthur said running his hand agitatedly through his hair. "To think of the damage that might already be done-" Arthur was cut off by two loud pops.
"Hey daddyo, how goes it?" A purple skinned George asked. Fred stood next to him trying to hide a smile.
"George what happened to your skin?" Harry asked.
"Huh?" George said as he looked at his hands. "What's wrong with it?"
"George you're purple!" Arthur said in a slightly high voice. George looked at Arthur surprised and then he turned and punched Fred in the shoulder.
"You told me no one else would be able to see it!" he said angrily. Fred laughed.
"Ok so I was wrong," he said. George narrowed his eyes dangerously but Fred just pushed him out of the way.
"We heard you guys were back, and we wanted to know how everything went," Fred said.
"We'll have to explain it later boys, right now we've got a major crisis on our hands and we've got to get everyone in the Order together," Arthur said.
"Why whatever for?" George asked confused.
"Come on I'll explain it on the way to headquarters," Arthur said.
A/N: So...tell me what you thought about this chapter...sorry to leave it kind of a cliffy...but I needed to end it somewhere. I will try to have another chapter up soon...but don't hold me to that. I also have been working on re-formatting my other stories so that I can put up new chapters on those. I hope to have them up soon. Thanks for reading!