The list of the fallen were reported the following day. Two Aurors, three muggles and Hannah's parents had been killed. Several more were injured, and were sent to St. Mungo's Hospital.
The Hogwarts Guard, in their yellow uniforms, spread through the halls and corridors of Hogwarts like a massive flood. Filch was affronted by their presence. His prime function at the school had been to harass students, and now there was a whole army to do it for him. His life's purpose suddenly taken away, he let Peeves reign free, taking delight when the poltergeist dumped buckets of cold water on members of the Guard at random.
In the Slytherin common room, Draco opened a letter from his father. It was written in code. A seemingly harmless note to the outward eye, contained a secret message.
The Guard had been reading all the mail coming into Hogwarts, intercepting owls and breaking seals, stopping at nothing to catch anyone who might be communicating with Voldemort or his followers.
The note informed him that Pansy had been given a special assignment. Draco continued reading, trying to figure out exactly what she was required to do. The more he read, the angrier he became. He couldn't believe her family was letting her handle such an important mission. There was no way she was up to the task. He had to talk her out of it, or convince her to let him do it himself.
He burned the note and went to find her.
In the Gryffindor common room, Hermione was decoding a note of her own. It was in the form of a poem. Over the summer Dumbledore had informed her that she'd receive several messages throughout the year. The messages contained assignments, sent anonymously by members of the Order, Harry or Dumbledore himself.
Hermione took note of every third letter in the first 5 stanzas, and every two in the last three.
She deciphered the message. The note confirmed that Pansy Parkinson was delivering a letter from her father to a member of the Hogwarts Guard...a John Murdoch. Apparently the Order suspected that Murdoch was working for the Death Eaters.
Hermione continued reading. The note stated that it was vital that Pansy's message never reach its destination, or the consequences would be devastating.
Dumbledore had told Hermione that she'd never receive the full details of the Order's operations, only the most necessary information, for her own security and that of those involved. The lack of insight made her uneasy, but she trusted Dumbledore, and tried not to dwell on what she wasn't told.
Hermione reached for her class schedule. She and Pansy were both in Professor Sinistra's Astronomy class. If Pansy hoped to deliver the message at noon, she'd probably do it right after the lesson was over.
Hermione made her way to the Astronomy Tower, determined to get a hold of the note.
The class consisted mainly of Ravenclaws, a handful of Gryffindors, one Hufflepuff and two Slytherins—Pansy and Malfoy. Malfoy received top marks in the class, while Pansy barely scraped by. Hermione suspected Pansy had joined the class to keep an eye on Draco. She'd caught him kissing a very pretty Ravenclaw after class the previous year, and had made a scene so terrible, the teachers were required to intervene.
Hermione took a seat next to Neville, and focused her attention on Professor Sinistra.
The professor had clear blue eyes and red-gold hair that was pulled back into an elegant braid.
She cleared her throat and addressed the class. "For those of you who are new, welcome to the study of the planets and the stars. This year we will explore distant galaxies...found in the furthest reaches of the universe." She paused. "Galaxies that muggles can only dream of exploring."
Professor Sinistra looked disdainfully at the muggleborns in the class. She was a pureblood, and while not as vile as Professor Snape in her treatment of muggleborn students, she liked to flaunt the superiority of wizarding knowledge whenever she could.
"Now you will work with the person sitting next to you, and chart the stars and planets of the Alcibiades galaxy..."
Hermione watched Draco and Pansy talking in hushed tones at their table. They seemed to be debating something.
"Have you lost your mind?" said Draco loudly, forgetting to keep his voice down.
Could it be about the note? Hermione wondered. She glanced at Pansy's school bag, no doubt the message was safely tucked away inside.
Professor Sinistra marched over to the two Slytherins. "I require total concentration in this class. Be silent and apply yourselves. I'm surprised at you Draco," she said, an eyebrow raised. He was one of her favorite students.
"Forgive me, Professor," he said in his most charming voice.
For the next ten minutes, Pansy and Draco worked very quietly. Hermione looked away from them and pretended to focus on her chart.
"Do you suppose this is where the planet Goran should be?" Neville asked her. "Or is it Tanith?"
"I think it's Tanith," said Hermione absentmindedly.
Suddenly she heard Pansy say. "You can't! Not again!"
"Very well," said Professor Sinistra, approaching the Slytherin table once more. "I'll have to separate you..."
Her gaze fell on Lavender Brown and Padma Patil, seated together at a table in the far corner of the room. "Ms. Brown, come to the front if you please, I need you to switch with—"
"But Professor, we've nearly completed our chart," Lavender pleaded. "It wouldn't be fair. We've already done all the work."
"I'll switch with Malfoy," Hermione offered, hoping to get partnered with Pansy and steal the note from her bag when she wasn't looking.
Neville looked at her like she'd stabbed him in the back. "But we're almost finished with ours too," he whispered.
"No," said Professor Sinistra. "You'll partner with Draco. Parkinson go with Longbottom."
"But Professor!"
"Now!"
Hermione watched as Pansy grabbed her charts, and grudgingly slung her bag over her shoulder.
She made her way over to them. Hermione's eyes were glued to the bag. It was so close she could almost reach it...
"Better Longbottom than a mudblood for a partner," said Pansy under her breath.
Hermione flinched but made no comment. She gathered her things and walked over to Malfoy's desk, furious with herself. She had missed a precious opportunity to get her hands on that note.
"Granger."
"Malfoy," she said evenly.
He glanced sideways at her. "I had no idea you fancied Pansy for a partner," he said. "Don't have enough friends of your own? Must be a solitary life with your head buried in all those books. And now with Potter gone, I suppose there's only Weasley to talk to. Not very bright is he?"
Hermione wanted to slap Malfoy, but instead she said, "I just thought I'd save you and Pansy the embarrassment, seeing as no one wanted a Slytherin for a partner."
"How self-sacrificing," said Draco, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"It's not a sacrifice," Hermione began, deciding to set the trap she'd planned for him. She'd intended to approach him later in the day, but now was as good a time as any. "I'm glad we were partnered."
"And why is that?" Draco asked, expecting a clever retort.
There was a long pause. It took every ounce of determination for Hermione to force the words out. She had to say them, she just had to do it. "Because I want to apologize," she said finally. "For what I said on the train the other day."
Inside she was screaming, she never in a million years imagined she'd ever have to apologize to Draco Malfoy, of all people. But it was for the greater good, she reminded herself. It had to be done.
"Excuse me, Granger I thought I heard you say—"
"I don't think you're a pleasant person," she continued, "You have foul manners, you're arrogant, conceited, pompous—"
"I thought this was an apology?" interrupted Draco.
"But..." continued Hermione, "that doesn't mean you're exactly like your father, or that you'll become a Death Eater," she finished, making sure to keep her voice low, so that the students around them wouldn't hear. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Pansy watching them intently.
Draco frowned at her. Had hell suddenly frozen over? Granger's expression was sincere, and the light from the windows lit up her hair a lovely golden brown, giving her an angelic appearance. An angel with sinister intentions, he thought. What they were, he didn't know yet.
"I'm pleased you've admitted you were wrong," he said finally. "I know how hard that must have been. Know-it-all that you are."
She clenched her fists in anger. Keep it together, she told herself. Don't lose your temper. She looked away from him and grabbed hold of her quill, ready to start work on the chart in front of her.
"But all the same," he said, placing a hand over hers to stop her from writing, "I'm glad that you did." He looked at her with an intensity that made her lose her focus.
The spell was broken when Professor Sinistra clapped her hands together. She lifted her wand and a jet of blue light soared over the room, erupting to forma replica of the Alcibiades galaxy. The other students looked up in awe, transfixed by the stars that floated around them.
"And now, if you please, take note of the galaxy's sphere of dark matter..."
Draco released Hermione's hand.
She snuck a glance at the back of the room. Pansy was still staring at them, her eyes narrowed into slits.
They worked diligently for the rest of the hour, and eventually Professor Sinistra announced the end of class.
"Attention please! I'd also like charts on the Zagros galaxy on my desk by next lesson. If you did your summer reading, it shouldn't be too difficult."
The whole class grumbled.
Hermione turned to Draco."We can meet in the library later today to finish the charts," she offered. "Six o' clock, don't be late." She looked over her shoulder. Pansy was already making her way to the door.
"And if I don't show?" Draco challenged.
"Then good luck finding another partner," said Hermione. And with that, she turned on her heel and left the tower.
She raced down the spiral staircase and into the hall, trying to see which way Pansy had gone.
She spotted her walking down the next corridor, and down a set of stairs. Hermione followed her all the way to the third floor, where a large group of second years were leaving their History of Magic class.
Hermione pushed past the students, and saw Pansy approach a member of the Hogwarts Guard—a very tall woman with long, blonde hair.
"I'm looking for John Murdoch," said Pansy.
"He didn't report in today," said the guard. "You can check back tomorrow when he's on duty."
"You don't understand," said Pansy, alarmed. "I have to see him today."
"He's not available," the blonde woman repeated firmly.
"This is ridiculous. Tell me where to find him!" shouted Pansy, a look of panic on her face.
The guard narrowed her eyes at Pansy. "If you persist, I'll have to take you to Romena Wright. For questioning—"
"That won't be necessary," Pansy spat, and she stormed off.
Hermione ran after her, but the halls were filled with students making their way to the Great Hall for lunch, and by the time she caught up to Pansy in the dungeons, she was already making her way through the stone door that led to the Slytherin common room.
The door shut firmly behind Pansy with a resounding thud.
Hermione was out of breath, she'd just have to corner Pansy the next morning. If she didn't meet with Murdoch before classes, then she'd steal the note from her in Astronomy, only this time she'd create a diversion to make sure she was successful...
Later that evening, Hermione waited for Draco at the appointed time in front of the library. She looked at her watch. He was twenty minutes late. She was beginning to doubt if he was going to show. She tapped her foot impatiently, then spotted him walking down the hall, his broom in hand.
"Hope you haven't been waiting long, Granger," he said, no trace of sincerity in his voice.
"Why did you bring that?" she asked, pointing at the broom.
"I don't know, I thought, why not work outside, where we can actually see the sky?"
Hermione laughed. "I don't think so."
Draco sighed. "Where's your sense of adventure? Or do you only live vicariously...through your books?"
He saw her wince. He had hit a nerve.
Hermione glowered at him. Under normal circumstances she would have sent him to hell, but she had a mission to accomplish and she was determined to see it through. "Very well," she said, folding her arms. "And how do you propose to get past the Guard?"
"It shouldn't be too difficult," he said, taking a step closer to her, "If you stick with me and do what you're told."
"I'm afraid you have me confused for a house elf," Hermione said icily.
Draco rolled his eyes at her. "No one would mistake you for a house elf. I doubt you're capable of staying quiet for more than two seconds." He took a full minute to appreciate her face turn a violent shade of purple, then he said, "Let's go."
They made their way up the Grand Staircase. No one stopped them on the first few floors, assuming they were headed for their common rooms.
When they finally reached the Astronomy Tower, they stopped in their tracks. Two guards were patrolling the corridor.
Draco reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small, golden object. A pair of red stripes ran across it. Hermione recognized it as a Ticking Time Bomb.
"Stand back," Draco whispered. He took aim towards the door at the end of the hall, threw the device, and three seconds later a very loud BANG sounded in the corridor.
The guards crouched down and covered their heads, expecting the ceiling to cave in.
Instead, a red mist filled the hall, obscuring their vision for several minutes. When the mist cleared, the first guard ran towards the door, and the other started to follow, but then Hermione stepped backwards into a suit of armor, causing it to fall over with a loud CLANG.
Hermione froze.
Draco had ducked into an alcove, and he was looking at her with an expression of mingled frustration and horror. He reached forward and grabbed her by the waist. The guard turned around just as she whipped out of sight.
Hermione's back was suddenly pressed to Draco's chest. He leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "Don't move."
Hermione's pulse raced. Draco's breath was warm against her skin, and his lips brushed her ear. She felt a small shiver travel down her spine.
The guard walked in their direction. He passed the alcove, and looked at the fallen suit of armor, then into the room beyond. When he saw that it was empty, he assumed the suit had tipped over of its own accord, and left to follow his companion.
When the coast was clear, Hermione pulled away from Draco.
"I don't know why I let you talk me into this stupid—"
"You're the one who nearly got us caught," he hissed, taking hold of her hand. "Let's go."
They climbed up the spiral staircase that led to the Astronomy Tower, eventually reaching their classroom.
They shut the door behind them.
Draco wasted no time, forcing open a window.
"Come on," he said.
They climbed through the window and stepped out onto the terrace. A set of Looking Scopes were aimed at the night sky.
"We'll go out by the lake," said Draco.
"Why not stay here?" suggested Hermione. "We can use the Looking Scopes."
"The guards might circle back, we can't risk it."
Draco mounted his broom and waited for her. Hermione approached him, then hesitated. Was he really taking her to the lake, or did he intend to murder her in the dead of night? Not likely, she thought. Not with the Guard on high alert.
She sat behind him on the broom, and looked uncertainly over the edge of the tower. It was easily a seven hundred foot drop. She felt her stomach turn over. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea...
"Granger?"
"Hmm?" she replied.
"You have to hold on, unless you fancy flying off the end."
"Right," she said. "Of course." She circled her arms around Malfoy's waist, but still kept a safe distance, sitting an inch away from him.
He laughed, grabbed her arms and pulled them tighter around his middle, forcing her to edge forward on the broom, thus closing the space between their bodies.
"Scared, Granger?" he whispered.
"I'm not—"
Before she could finish he kicked off and they soared into the night sky.
Hermione screamed. She'd always hated flying. She didn't know how Harry managed in Quidditch, especially during that storm in third year when he'd almost fallen to his death.
The guards patrolling the grounds looked like tiny dots. She was hanging onto Malfoy for dear life now, as they went higher and higher into the air. It didn't help that he was making a big effort to show off. Making the broom swerve this way and that, and finally spinning them into a loop.
He circled the lake a few times, made sure there weren't any guards nearby, then landed gracefully by the water's edge.
Hermione let out a sigh of relief when her feet hit solid ground.
Draco dismounted first and offered her his hand. She pushed it away.
"There was no need to fly like—like that!"
"Quiet," he warned. "Or do you want to alert the Guard that we've left the castle?"
She got off the broom and stepped away from him. She felt the world spin. He reached forward and caught her before she fell.
"Steady now, Granger," he cautioned.
His arms were strong, and she was tempted to let him hold her until her head stopped spinning, but their sudden proximity made her self-conscious.
"I'm perfectly alright," she said, pushing him away. But she wasn't. It felt like the ground was still moving. She slung her bag off her shoulder and made to sit by the lake. As she tried to get her bearings, Draco watched her from afar.
It wasn't going to be easy to win her confidence. Not with their history. And there was something he couldn't figure out. Hermione had apologized to him in class. She seemed to want to change things between them, and yet...she constantly kept her guard up. What was it, he wondered, that Granger really wanted?
Eventually, Hermione took out her charts, a textbook, and a quill, avoiding eye contact with him the whole time.
"Well," she said, finally inviting him to sit next to her. "We should get started."
Draco sat beside her and looked at the chart she'd laid out on the ground.
He looked up at the sky, "It says here we need to find the planet Alcander."
Hermione cracked open her Astronomy book and started looking for information on the planet's galaxy.
"No need for that," said Draco. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a miniature gold Looking Scope with four lenses.
"Look through the fourth lens," he said.
Hermione gasped as he held the lens up to her. It suddenly felt like the whole world had zoomed forward and propelled her into the night sky.
Through the lens she spotted the planet Alcander. Its colors were bright turquoise and vivid gold. The planet seemed to be surrounded by a circular ring of white light. "It's incredible," she whispered.
"The planet's colors are meant to lure the unsuspecting traveler," said Malfoy. "Dangerous creatures live there, sea monsters and the like."
She knew Wizards had explored the universe, and gone much further than Muggles, but she hadn't found any books at Hogwarts detailing their travels. She figured the Ministry wanted to keep the information private, to what end...she could only imagine.
"How do you know so much about all this?" she asked Draco.
He looked lost in thought for a moment."My mother taught me. When I was a child we'd sit outside the manor for hours...she told me about the stars, the planets, the galaxies."His eyes lit up. "The best Astronomers are in Egypt. They have the most advanced Looking Scopes there. The Luxor Scope is the only way you can see the Lasthenia galaxy, it's the galaxy at the end of the universe. No one's ever been there, it's too far even for wizards to reach, but it's said to have the most extraordinary planet. Colors you can't even imagine. Some are even driven mad by it."
"Will you go there sometime?" asked Hermione. "To Luxor?"
"Maybe one day," said Draco. "After the war's over."
"And your mother? Will she go with you?"
Something in Draco's face changed, and it was several seconds before he answered.
"She's not interested in the stars anymore. She's...changed over the years."
His father had made sure of that.
"And your father?" Hermione asked, echoing his thoughts.
Draco forced a smile. "Let's just say we don't sit down to tea and swap stories."
They were both silent.
Now Hermione understood Draco's interest in astronomy. It reminded him of a simpler time, when his mother was well and he was happy.
"I'm sorry," Hermione said, thinking of the complicated relationship he had with his parents. "I can't imagine what that's like, not being able to count on the people that should always be there."
"But you can," Draco replied.
"What do you mean?"
"Potter," he said slowly. "In the end, he decided to save his own skin instead of stand by you and Weasley, his so-called friends." He shook his head. "There was so much talk about him before he came to Hogwarts. The Boy Who Lived..." Draco smirked. "He turned out to be an average wizard, worried for his own mortality. Nothing more."
Hermione looked at Malfoy in disbelief.
He was making Harry out to be some sort of coward.
"You don't know anything about him," Hermione said fiercely. "Harry is not weak."
"Really?" said Draco. "If he's not hiding, and he's not fighting Voldemort, then where is he?"
Hermione was silent. She looked at Malfoy, suddenly suspicious...
Draco realized he'd pressed too far too early. He changed tactics, hoping to distract her. "I'm starting to think you're in love with him, Granger."
"What? I'm not!" she exclaimed, completely caught off guard. "We're friends." She frowned at Malfoy. "Not that it's any of your concern."
"And Weasley?" Draco asked, genuinely interested in her answer this time. "Is he a friend too, or something more?"
She turned bright red. "That's—that's none of your business. We should go back to the castle." She stood up and reached for her bag.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Sit down. I promise I won't ask you any more questions about your love life."
She scowled at him.
"Honest," he said, holding his hands up as a sign of defeat.
Hermione sat beside him. They finished their charts, and didn't speak again until it was time to go.
"Ready?" he asked, as they mounted the broom.
She nodded.
Hermione closed her eyes as Draco kicked off into the air. He didn't try to show off this time, flew smoothly, and minutes later they landed on the terrace of the Astronomy Tower.
It had been an interesting night, to say the least, Hermione thought. In all their years at Hogwarts, that was the longest conversation she'd ever had with Malfoy and it hadn't been entirely unpleasant. But how much of what he told her was the truth?
"Well good night," Hermione said. "I have to admit you're a slightly better Astronomy partner than Neville."
Draco laughed. "Only slightly?"
"Well," she conceded, "you managed to get the assignment done."
Hermione turned to go, but then Draco seized her arm and swung her around to face him.
"What?" she asked, startled.
"Come now, Granger, that's not really what you came out here for."
Hermione paled. Had she blown her cover somehow? Had Draco seen her follow Pansy? Did he know she was working for Dumbledore and the Order?
"And what did I come out here for?" Hermione asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
Draco pulled her closer, so close that his face was only inches from her own.
They were very near the edge of the tower. Did he mean to throw her off?
"If you don't tell me what you want Malfoy, then I'm—"
"This," he said, and to her surprise he leaned forward, and pressed his lips to hers, wrapping his arms around her waist so that she couldn't get away.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Thank you so much for reading! Hope you take a sec to review :)