Disclaimer: not mine

A/N: Please review! I will have the next chapter out soon…and I will post the first chapter of my new LM/HG story when I post the last chapter of this one…so read that one too when I do! Okay….remember to review!

Chapter 26

Dumbledore Defense

Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table at breakfast. Not many people were there yet. She was not sleeping much and every day waited anxiously for the Daily Prophet, hoping it would offer some word of Lucius' release. No one was telling her anything and she had a feeling Lucius wanted it that way.

Harry came in haggard looking. Hermione watched him sit down and begin grabbing breakfast.

"You alright Harry? You look awful."

He stopped piling the food on his plate and turned to look at her.

"Thanks Hermione."

She smiled in a way that told Harry she did not mean it as an insult. He smiled back, took a deep breath and began to tell her.

"Remus came to get me last night. They found another horcrux."

Hermione dropped her fork and turned around looking at Harry with the light of excitement in her eyes.

"Harry! That means there is only one left!"

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the locket that sat in place of Slytherin's locket.

"Yea," he said. "And we have no idea where that is."

Hermione was determined to help Harry find that last Horcrux. After all, Voldemort was the reason Lucius had been in hiding. Maybe with Voldemort gone everyone could have a normal life again and just maybe hers could include Lucius.

That evening, Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Draco had all been called to a special training session with Snape and Remus. The four students stood in a line, listening to Snape lecture them as he paced back and forth in front of them.

"Simply put, the four of you will have to work together to kill the Dark Lord."

Hermione's forehead crinkled up in confusion and immediately she put her hand in the air. Snape saw her and stopped pacing. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, between the eyes he sighed.

"Yes, Miss Granger, what is it?"

"Well, I thought Harry was the chosen one."

Remus stepped forward to answer the question, which Severus gladly let him.

"He is Hermione, but he will need help. As you know, between the three of you," he indicated Harry, Hermione and Ron, "you possess wood of the three elements Ollivander uses in his wands."

Hermione looked like she was about to say something, but Remus held up his hand stopping her before he continued.

"This is where Draco comes in…his wand, not coming from Ollivanders, possesses the fourth element. Without Harry the other three elements will not bind together."

Hermione nodded her head in understanding and the training continued.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Lucius was lead into the room by two dementors. As he sat in the chair, the chair seemed to come alive and strap him down so he could go nowhere. He looked up through his curtain of white blond hair. The entire Wizengamot was there. Scrimgeour stood in his spot sneering down at him as if he were filth.

His trial had begun.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Hermione sat at lunch reviewing her notes. Harry seemed to be in quite a hurry, but she didn't think to ask why when something hit her.

"The locket!"

Harry and Ron both stopped eating and looked at Hermione as if she had snakes coming out her nose. She was so excited she was jumping up and down in her seat. Grabbing Harry's arm she shook him.

"Harry, you have to find out if Kreacher took it!"

"What are you talking about?"

She was not making sense. She shook her head as if Harry should be able to read her mind and know what she was talking about.

"Remember when Mrs. Weasley had us cleaning out the things in Grimmauld Place?"

Harry nodded his head.

"Yea, Kreacher kept nicking stuff."

"There was a locket Harry. Remember, we couldn't open it so it was tossed in the garbage pile."

Harry's face lit up.

"So if that was Slytherin's locket, Kreacher was bound to know and nick it!" Harry had caught on to Hermione's train of thought.

"You're brilliant, Hermione!"

Harry kissed her on the cheek and ran off. Hermione shook her head and went back to reviewing her notes. Slowly, her mind drifted to Lucius.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Lucius sat strapped in his seat and looked out at the witches and wizards comprising the Wizengamot. Some looked him in the face while others did not. His mind drifted off to one thing—Hermione. How could he have fallen for a Gryffindor girl of all people? The thought of her sitting in that chair tore at him though. Slowly, he lifted his chin up in Malfoy pride.

We protect our own.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Hermione looked around the class in History of Magic. This was the second class after lunch that Harry missed. Ron sat next to her and she couldn't imagine Harry skiving off a class without Ron. Rolling her eyes at that thought, she looked back toward the classroom door. No one.

Class ended with no sign of Harry.

"Ron have you seen Harry?"

Ron shook his head, looked around as if to check that he wasn't nearby, and then shrugged. As she headed toward the Heads' rooms, she noticed Draco ahead of her. Jogging to catch up, she called out to him. He stopped and turned around waiting for her.

"Have you seen Harry?"

"No, but I heard him say something about meeting with Lupin."

Hermione felt a bit relieved—it must be about the locket.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Lucius sat calmly listening to Scrimgeour rehash every evil thing Lucius had ever been accused of doing. Some members of the Wizengamot interrupted to rebuke some charges in the past where he was found to be innocent. Still Scrimgeour went on and Lucius' mind traveled to Hermione.

This was for her…she was not family, yet he told himself, but he was willingly sacrificing himself for her. How Gryffindor, he thought. Finally, Scrimgeour stopped his slandering of Lucius and looked around the Wizengamot and then to the Weasley kid sitting next to him.

"Is there anyone here that will vouch for Lucius Malfoy's character?"

Lucius'eyes swept over the assembly of people…waiting…

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Harry wasn't at dinner. Hermione never did find him. When she went to bed that night she was plagued by nightmares and visions of Lucius. She missed him. Sitting up in her bed after another nightmare, she looked around. The room seemed so empty. It was only a few months ago she could run to the next room and without complaint he would reach out to comfort her…chasing the nightmares away.

Getting out of bed, she realized there was only one place she wanted to be.

Ten minutes later, Hermione was silently entering Lucius' quarters. The smell of his cologne still lingered in the room it seemed. Sitting on the sofa, she pointed her wand at the fireplace and it erupted into flames beginning to warm the cold rooms. She could feel the comfort overcoming her and the exhaustion seducing her. She was still cold though. Looking around she saw one of Lucius' cloaks draped on the back of the sofa. As she lay back on the sofa, she reached out for it, covering herself. As she drifted off to sleep, her mind was filled with images of only one man—Lucius Malfoy.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"I am here to vouch for Mister Malfoy."

The entire Wizengamot turned to look at who just walked in and was walking up to stand next to Lucius.

Harry Potter.

Harry looked over the Wizengamot and for a moment, he could feel Dumbledore smiling at him, encouraging him to continue.

"Lucius Malfoy may have made mistakes in the past, but that is where they remain. He has been a very important aspect of Hermione Granger's life and safety. He has helped me and other members of the Order of Phoenix on several occasions." His eyes swept the room. "Albus Dumbledore saw redemption in him and his son and many of you know…knew Dumbledore well enough to not doubt him. I am asking you to continue your trust in Dumbledore and release Lucius Malfoy. His imprisonment serves no purpose, but to possibly make the Minister look good. I have been able to look beyond Mister Malfoy's past transgressions and forgive him. I am simply suggesting you do the same. It's what Dumbledore would have done."

The room erupted in whispers.