Platform 9 ¾ looked nothing like Hermione remembered. The Ministry had sent a battalion of Aurors to patrol the station. They looked like a large swarm of angry bees, keeping a close eye on everyone. The tension in the air was palpable. Parents were barely given enough time to say goodbye to their children, before Aurors rushed them in line to board the Hogwarts Express. Ministry officials were also taking down names, making note of every student that was returning to Hogwarts.

The Ministry had launched an extensive campaign over the summer, assuring parents that Hogwarts was the safest place for their children, safer than their own homes. They had heightened security around the castle, and placed a number of enchantments, even added the Hogwarts Guard, a group of specially trained Aurors to protect the school. But despite their many promises, Hermione knew the truth. No one was safe anymore, not even at Hogwarts.

Many parents thought the same. The most skeptical had decided to send their children abroad, to foreign wizarding schools, while some students simply remained at home.

And yet, a good number had decided to return.

Hermione spotted Ron at the other end of the station, saying goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"I'll send you a letter by owl as soon as I get to Hogwarts," said Hermione, hugging her parents. "Arling will see you home."

Upon Dumbledore's request, the Ministry had assigned an Auror to her parents, and another to Ron's family at the Burrow. As Harry's closest friends, their families ran the highest risk of kidnap and torture by Voldemort's followers. She tried not to think of the endless count of murders that were reported over the summer. She'd made sure to tell her parents the truth of the situation, feeling that they deserved to know.

"We love you," Hermione's mother whispered into her ear.

Hermione hugged both her parents tightly. She didn't want to let go, but then an Auror appeared at her shoulder. "It's time to board the train now," he said.

Hermione nodded and followed him to the Hogwarts Express. She gave her name to the Ministry official at the front of the train, then climbed on board.

Ron was waiting for her inside, and as they walked down the corridor everyone started to stare.

"Think they know where Harry is?" whispered a second year Gryffindor to his brother.

"It looks like Potter left his friends behind to fend for themselves," said a Slytherin girl loudly.

Her friends laughed.

Hermione pretended not to hear.

"Over here," said Ron, motioning Hermione into an empty compartment. He helped her with her suitcase then shut the door behind them.

"How was your summer?" asked Hermione quickly, hoping Ron wouldn't dwell on the incident in the corridor. She looked out the window, watching as her parents left the platform with Arling.

"Never had a moment of privacy," said Ron, slumping down into the seat opposite her. The Auror the Ministry assigned us was way too jumpy. "Mum was cooking in the kitchen one morning, got distracted and dropped a couple pans, and he stormed into the Burrow, wand at the ready, thinking we'd been attacked."

"Look," said Hermione, gesturing to the window. Eight of the Aurors were boarding the train, ready to escort the students to Hogwarts. The other twenty remained behind.

"Blimey," said Ron, watching them board. "Ministry sure is tightening up security, aren't they?"

Hermione nodded, and Ron looked at her, choosing his next words carefully.

"Why did Dumbledore tell you and not me?"

"Tell me what?" asked Hermione.

"About Harry, and his mission."

"I don't know, maybe he supposed it was safer if only one of us knew."

Ron was silent, clearly not satisfied with her answer. "Well I suppose Harry's safe," he said finally. "But I don't see why I've been kept in the dark."

Hermione glowered at Ron. She wanted to tell him that Harry was not safely tucked away, instead he was risking his life abroad, recruiting an army with the Order. An army for Dumbledore and the Ministry. An army for them all.

She thought back to the argument she'd had with Dumbledore months earlier...

"He's only fifteen!" she had shouted, when Dumbledore had told her his plans.

"You will find," Dumbledore had calmly answered, "There are things I can't disclose, and Harry is well aware of what he will face. He didn't want to leave without one of you knowing where he was going."

"Why tell me and not Ron?"

"Mr. Weasley is a loyal friend to Harry, but he is impulsive, and that can be dangerous in times such as these."

"And Harry is the only one that can complete this mission?"

Dumbledore had nodded.

In a way Hermione had understood. Although Harry had only been a baby, he was the one who had taken Voldemort's power before, and he was the only one that could convince people to rally against him now.

"And now, Ms. Granger, we must discuss how you can help Harry, if you are willing."

Hermione had agreed and Dumbledore had told her his plans. She'd also taken the opportunity to tell him her plans for Malfoy, and Dumbledore hadn't rejected her idea, but he'd advised caution.

"You must tread carefully, Ms. Granger. Although Draco is arrogant and vain, we must concede that he is intelligent, and not easily fooled. I would not want you to put yourself in harm's way."

Hermione had assured him that she would be careful.

Hermione's thoughts returned to the present and she looked at Ron. He was sitting right across from her, but it felt like he was an ocean away.

A few compartments further down the train, Malfoy took a seat across from Theodore Nott. The boy kept loosening his tie and tapping his foot nervously.

"Is something wrong?" asked Malfoy, irritated.

"Coming back was a mistake," said Nott flatly.

Draco lowered his voice. "Returning to Hogwarts is the best way to avoid suspicion."

Nott shook his head. "Things are going to get bad very fast."

Draco raised an eyebrow. He had never seen his friend panic before. "What are you worried about?"

"If things go wrong...for our side, who do you think Dumbledore and the Ministry are going to question first? They can hold us for ransom, torture us for information, until our parents give in to their demands. Hogwarts is the worst possible place to get caught if things go wrong. We'd be trapped."

Draco laughed. "Dumbledore? Torture students? He'd never do it, it's not his way...not in his line of thinking. And he wouldn't allow the Ministry to do it either."

Nott rolled his eyes. "Dumbledore isn't Minister of Magic, is he? They're desperate to catch the Dark Lord. I don't think there's anything they wouldn't do."

Malfoy leaned back in his seat. "Why don't you ease up mate? It's a long ride back to Hogwarts, and I don't fancy your attitude."

Nott looked out the window, looking like a man preparing for his own hanging.

Pathetic, thought Malfoy as he turned away from him.

Nott was crumbling already and they hadn't even set foot in Hogwarts.

"I'm hungry," said Ron. "Fancy anything from the cart?"

"I—" began Hermione.

BANG!

Her words were cut short by a deafening explosion. The whole train shuddered, and they were tossed forward.

"Are you alright?!" yelled Ron, helping her up.

They heard screams.

"What's going on?!" someone outside shouted.

They opened the compartment door and hurried outside, looking for the source of the explosion.

A group of Aurors were blasting spells at the end of the corridor. A student was hysterical, and they were trying to subdue her.

She dodged their spells and aimed her wand at them.

"I WANT TO GET OFF THE TRAIN! NOW!"

Hermione recognized the girl, it was Hannah Abbott.

"What is it?" asked Ron, spotting Neville in the compartment further down.

"It's terrible," Neville shouted, "the news just came over the Wizarding Wireless Network. There was an attack on King's Cross. It happened just after we left. Hannah's parents were killed. She wants to go back to the station."

Hermione felt the world slow down, and she hung onto Ron's arm for support.

"Was anyone else killed?" asked Ron.

"We don't know, said Neville. "The attack hasn't ended..."

"I'll be right back," Ron told Hermione, hurrying forward to get more information from Neville. Hermione felt dizzy, she had seen her parents leave Platform 9 ¾ but had they made it out of the station? She took a step backwards.

"Watch where you're going!"

Hermione turned. "Sorry, I—" She stopped short. It was Malfoy.

He opened his mouth to yell at her, then stopped when he saw the commotion at the end of the corridor. "What's the matter with her?" he asked distracted, looking over Hermione's shoulder.

Hannah Abbott had been seized by three Aurors. She was writhing, trying to break free from their grasp, and she was red in the face from screaming. Finally they all shot stunning spells at her, and she crashed to the floor, landing on her back. Her eyes were stretched wide in horror and her mouth hung open, a look of shock on her face.

The students in the corridor started to panic.

"What if the train's attacked? Maybe we should get off?" started a Hufflepuff.

"We have to go back for our parents," exclaimed another student. "We have to help them!"

"SILENCE!" an Auror shouted, storming down the corridor. "Get back to your compartments! No one is getting off this train!"

Hermione tried to get back to Ron, but an Auror blocked her way, and opened the compartment to her right. "Inside!" he yelled at her, Draco, and a second year Ravenclaw standing behind them. He opened the door. "No one exits their compartment until we arrive at Hogwarts. Now!"

They hurried inside, and the Auror shut the door firmly behind them.

Hermione tried the handle.

It was locked.

"Alohomora," she said, pointing her wand at the door.

It didn't budge.

Malfoy sat down. "You don't really think that will work, do you Granger?"

Hermione ignored him, then saw that the Ravenclaw girl was in a terrible state. Her hands were shaking and she was gasping for air like a fish out of water.

"What is it?" Hermione asked the girl, fearing she was having a panic attack.

"My brother dropped me off at that station, and I'm—I'm worried that he's—"

Dead? thought Draco to himself. No doubt a likely possibility. He supposed Voldemort hadn't resisted the temptation of attacking a large group of Aurors. They had made it too easy for him. So many gathered in one place, with no easy escape route. And no doubt more than a few bystanders would die in the crossfire.

"You can't think that way," said Hermione. "You just have to be calm—"

The girl pushed Hermione out of the way, and made for the door, pounding her fists on it. "Let us out! Please, let us out!"

Hermione grabbed the girl by the back of her robes, forcing her to sit. "What's your name?"

"Millie," she mumbled, crying uncontrollably.

"Try to relax, everything's going to be fine. Here, take—"

"Oh for the love of Merlin!" shouted Malfoy. "Stupefy!"

A jet of red light issued from his wand, and hit the girl squarely in the face. The Ravenclaw girl slumped in her seat, rendered unconscious.

Hermione looked at Malfoy in disbelief. "That was hardly the right thing to do," she said, an edge in her voice.

"Better than hearing her yell her head off all the way to Hogwarts," Draco said calmly, making Hermione believe he was simply annoyed. The truth was that he couldn't stand to hear the girl's cries, she reminded him of the endless screams he'd endured at Malfoy Manor over the summer. His father had tortured several witches and wizards at Voldemort's request, people who had disappointed him, or betrayed him in some way. Their cries of agony and his father's merciless laughter still rang in his head.

Hermione made the girl comfortable, then sat down. She wanted to give Malfoy a piece of her mind, but she would use this moment alone with him to her benefit. She momentarily pushed her fears for her parents to the back of her mind, and tried to focus. No doubt Malfoy knew about the attack at King's Cross before it happened. Maybe he knew of attacks that were still to come...

She snuck a glance at him, Malfoy looked calm and collected as always, leaning back against the window, wisps of blonde hair falling casually across his forehead, his gray eyes unreadable.

"I know what you think I am," said Malfoy slowly, meeting her gaze. He folded his arms across his chest. "You think I'm a potential Death Eater, a traitor, a liar. Am I wrong?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow in surprise. She hadn't expected him to be so candid. He was up to something, but she would play along.

"Aren't you?" she asked, holding his gaze without fear.

"Because I wear this uniform?" he asked, pointing at the Slytherin crest on his robes. "Because my father is Lucius Malfoy and I must be exactly like him? No mind of my own, a puppet?"

Hermione was caught off guard, she hadn't expected a wave of questions.

Quick as lightning, Draco reached for her wrist and dragged her forward. She gasped, struggling for balance.

"You know nothing about me, Hermione," Draco said vehemently. He paused. He'd started the conversation to unsettle her, but he found he meant every word.

Hermione looked at him in surprise, he'd never called her by her first name before.

"Why don't you say it out loud?" Draco persisted, "Call me a Death Eater to my face."

Hermione looked at him, unsure of what to say. All she knew was that she refused to stoop to his level.

Draco tightened his grip on her arm. "Your silence doesn't make you better than me," he said, reading her mind. It makes you a coward."

"Enough!" she shouted, wrenching herself free from his grasp. "You were there when the Dark Mark was conjured at the World Cup. You knew what was going to happen that night, you wanted people to get hurt."

"Wrong again," said Malfoy, a smile on his face now. The night of the cup, I warned you...you and your friends, to keep your head down. Especially you, a—muggleborn."

Hermione looked at him incredulously. He was twisting everything. "That's not tr—"

"Really?" he challenged. "What were my words, exactly?"

Hermione racked her brain, then grudgingly repeated what Malfoy had told them that night in the forest. "You told us to hurry along. You told us the Death Eaters were after Muggles."

"So you do remember."

He smiled inwardly, seeing the seed of doubt take hold in her mind. He leaned further back in his seat, and stared out the window. His father underestimated him. He'd have Granger in his power sooner than he expected.

Hermione knew the conversation was over. She didn't believe Malfoy was innocent for one second. By the smirk on his face, she could tell he thought he'd won the argument. He had mistaken her confusion for doubt. But she had no doubts, Malfoy was up to no good, that was for sure. She realized his arrogance made him vulnerable, and suddenly, an idea occurred to her...

Hours later the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade station.

Hermione opened her eyes, realizing she'd fallen asleep. She looked around her. Malfoy had already left the compartment. Millie was still next to her, unconscious. She shook the girl awake.

"Wake up Millie, we're here now. We have to get off the train."

As Hermione stepped off the train, she saw that the students were arguing with the Aurors, some demanding to get back on the Hogwarts Express, determined to return to London to find out what had happened to their parents.

A tall woman in yellow robes approached. "My name is Romena Wright. I am head of the Hogwarts Guard, appointed by the Minister of Magic himself. Listen to me, you are the future of the magical community in this country. Your safety is of the utmost importance to us. I know you are all concerned for your relatives, but no one is going back. We will let you know the minute we receive news from London."

Many of the students exclaimed in anger, but she held a hand up to silence them.

"You should also know, there will be no trips to Hogsmeade this year. Curfew will be at eight o'clock, and you may only walk the school grounds for lessons. Members of the guard will be patrolling the castle at all hours."

"You can't hold us here against our will!" shouted a 7th year.

"Believe me, I can," said the woman. "And I will, for your own safety."

"I can't believe this," Dean Thomas whispered to Hermione.

"It's bloody ridiculous," Ron agreed, making his way over to them. "Are you ok?" he asked Hermione. "I didn't see you after I talked to Neville."

Hermione nodded. The students made their way to the carriages. Someone helped Hannah into one. She had woken up, and she was beside herself with grief.

"I told you," said Nott, as he and Malfoy stepped into a carriage. "They're fashioning this place into a fortress. A prison."

As Hogwarts loomed before them, Draco wondered if Nott was right. Still, there was no going back. There was too much at stake for him, too much relying on the success of his mission, and the only way was forward.

He spotted Hermione as her carriage passed him. She was staring at him, the ghost of a smile on her lips. She was planning something, he was sure, and he was going to find out what it was.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Thank you so much for reading! Hope you take a sec to review :)