DISCLAIMER: I only own the plot.
Chapter Two: Their DestinyHarry and Hermione headed to Dumbledore's office. It was 7:55pm. Ron was in the common room doing his Transfiguration homework. Harry entwined his fingers with Hermione's as they walked through the empty corridors. They arrived at Dumbledore's office to see Malfoy heading up the spiral staircase. They ran and arrived on the stairs just as the stone gargoyle slid back into place. They stared at Malfoy's retreating back wondering why on Earth he was there as well. Malfoy knocked on Dumbledore's door and Hermione and Harry heard his warm voice call out "come in." They saw Malfoy walk through the door and shut it behind him. They reached the door and knocked.
"Come in" Dumbledore said again. Hermione and Harry entered. Malfoy was sitting in front of Dumbledore's desk. He was holding a crumbled piece of parchment. They sat down next to him in the two vacant seats. Dumbledore smiled at them warmly but his usual twinkling eyes looked dull and tired.
"Good evening Mr Potter and Miss Granger. I guess you are wondering why you are all here tonight?" he started. The three nodded their heads and Dumbledore continued. "As you are well aware Lord Voldemort is once again alive and well. He is hiding as you also know but we know where he is thanks to Mr Malfoy here." Dumbledore told Hermione and Harry. They looked at Malfoy in disbelief. He had told Dumbledore where Voldemort was hiding…why?
"Sir. Why did Professor Snape give me that potion?" Harry asked the headmaster.
"Harry you have heard the prophecy. You know you are the only one who can kill Lord Voldemort. The potion is for your protection. You will have to use it on a very dear friend of yours. Something terrible I know but this person will understand when the time is right."
"But who will I have to use it on and why?"
"Mr Weasley" Hermione gasped at this. A million thoughts ran through her mind. Harry had to put Ron to sleep but why? What had he done that meant he'd be practically dead?
"Excuse me sir. You want me to use it on Ron?" cried Harry outraged at his headmasters words. Ron was his best friend and Dumbledore wanted him asleep while he was off fighting the most evil wizard.
"Yes. He is valuable to us and his mother and father have requested this, as they do not wish for him to be apart of the Great Battle. He will only be asleep for a short time…during the battle itself."
"What Great Battle? Between who? Voldemort and myself?" Harry asked in anger.
"Yes between you and Lord Voldemort. The Great Battle is the end of the terrible things that has been happening to us lately. You, Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy here will be sharing living quarters for the time being and I will hear no reason as to why you shouldn't."
"Sir…what's going to happen? Why do we have to live with Malfoy? What has he got to do with all this? It's his Aunts fault that my godfather is dead. What makes you think I would share living quarters with him?" Harry was extremely angry. He had to put his best friend to sleep while he went to war and he had to live with his nemesis prior to that. He couldn't keep what he wanted to say to himself. He was too angry for that and Malfoy was the best person to blame for his Godfathers death. If Dumbledore thought he would live with Malfoy he could just think again.
"Mr Potter. As I told you earlier it was Mr Malfoy here who told us the whereabouts of Voldemort. We have much to thank him for."
Harry stood up at this knocking over his chair. His face burning with anger.
"I will not live with him. Ever. I don't care if he told you where that scum is hiding. He probably isn't even going to be there anyway. I will never trust him and I cannot trust your word at the moment sir. I cannot forgive him for what his family has done." Harry stormed out of the Headmasters office and ran off out of the castle. Hermione looked at Dumbledore and was surprised to see a smile on his face.
"Sir…why are you smiling? Harry just spoke to you as if you were him." Hermione said in a state of disbelief. She had never heard Harry talk to a teacher like that before let alone Professor Dumbledore.
"The reaction I just received was one I expected. Mr Potter will come around in no time. Meanwhile I should explain your presence here tonight." Dumbledore had gained the twinkle in his eyes although it was fainter than usual. "You are to help Mr Potter through this terrible time. You have to convince him to slip the Sleeping Draught into Mr Weasley's morning pumpkin juice. The Great Battle will not be for some time though as we have much to plan. As for Mr Malfoy's involvement…he has become a spy for the Order. He has taken the Dark Mark for us and is prepared to fight against his master in the Great Battle."
Hermione looked from Dumbledore to Malfoy in shock. Malfoy was a spy for the Order…but why?
"Sir…what part do I play in this other than helping Harry with Ron?"
"Miss Granger…Tonight I will tell you something that will change your life forever…you are not who you think you are" Dumbledore paused at this and Hermione just stared at him. Had she heard him correctly? Had he just said she was not who she thought she was? Well who was she then?
"Well I…who am I then? If I'm not Hermione Granger?"
"You are prepared to hear this then?" Dumbledore looked a little concerned. Hermione just nodded.
"You are in fact a pureblood witch…your real name is Harmony Stone. Your birth parents sent you to live with your mothers most trusted muggle friend. Lisa and Jackson Granger kindly took you in and named you Hermione Granger. They know everything that goes on in the wizarding world and your parents sent you to live with them once they got wind that Voldemort would be coming. You posses powers you don't even know you have and Voldemort wants to take you onto his side and turn you into his most loyal servant. He is trying to get to you as he wants you to produce a child to him that will one day become his heir."
Dumbledore let this information sink in. Hermione had turned a deathly white and Dumbledore decided they should continue this conversation when Hermione was ready.
"No I want to hear it all…I want to know about my real parents. What were their names?" Hermione had tears in her eyes. Malfoy was watching her closely. For some strange reason he felt sorry for her. He wanted to pull her close to him and let her cry.
"What am I thinking?" he thought earning himself a quick yet noticeable glance from Dumbledore. Hermione couldn't hold her tears back any longer. She had just received life-changing news and Malfoy of all people had been present and she hated Dumbledore for allowing him to be there. Dumbledore stood up and done something he had never done before. He knelt beside Hermione and placed an arm around her shaking shoulders.
"Miss Granger. I know you want to hear everything but I cannot possibly tell you it all in one night. I must go now to find Mr Potter. I need to speak with him about what he is to do. You may stay here as long as you like." Dumbledore rose and left his office leaving a crying Hermione and a worried Malfoy behind. Draco didn't know what to do so he stood up and did the only thing he could think of…he pulled Hermione into a hug and let her cry. Without even realising what she was doing, Hermione sobbed into Draco's chest. She was scared now. Lost and alone without anyone to turn to, well that's how she felt. A few minutes later Hermione regained herself and pulled away from Draco quickly. She stared at him…a mixture of emotions on her face.
"I…I-I that wasn't…I'm sorry I didn't mean to do that" she managed through the last sobs.
"That's ok…you needed it" Malfoy said kindly. Hermione realised then that all these years she could have been wrong about Malfoy…or maybe he was just doing this to help The Dark Lord get to Harry…she didn't know but she knew he wasn't trustworthy…not yet anyway.
"How can you be nice to me? You hate me…well you hate Hermione Granger…how long have you known the truth?"
"I learnt of your true parentage only a week ago…Dumbledore told me because I am to protect you from the Dark Lord."
"I don't need protecting…I'm fine on my own thankyou very much"
"You may think that but your not…The Dark Lord is planning a way to get to you. I'm not sure what he is planning as such but I will be finding out"
"So…He is nothing I will not let him do the things Dumbledore says even if it means dying to stop it" Hermione was getting angry now. Malfoy was to protect her…Dumbledore's orders but to her he was nothing but a filthy bouncing ferret.
"You have to understand that the Dark Lord does not want you dead. He will use any means necessary to impregnate you with his child…and I mean anything, but he will not kill you."
Hermione glared at Malfoy. She said nothing to him and left the headmasters office at a run. She ran all the way to the only place in all of Hogwarts that she found safe…the Library. Once there she let the flow of tears that had been threatening to fall do so. How could Dumbledore expect her to help Harry when he had just told her about her fate? Did he really think it possible for her to concentrate on anything now, including her schoolwork?
Malfoy left Dumbledore office and walked through the castle looking for Hermione. He had known about Hermione's past longer than he admitted to her but he thought it best to not tell her that. He had liked Hermione even though he had called her a 'Mudblood' something he had to do to cover up his own true identity. He had been hassling Professor Dumbledore for the last two years to tell her everything but the headmaster had said he needed to wait for the right time. That was tonight and now Malfoy had to get Hermione to believe that he was never evil. He had never been truly in league with Lord Voldemort. He had to put up a front for the rest of Slytherin to believe he was loyal to Voldemort. They believed him of course. Slytherin's were so gullible. Draco laughed at them. He turned into the Library corridor. He knew Hermione would be there because that was where she always was. He tried the door handle and it was locked.
"Alohamora" he whispered. The door unlocked and Draco entered the Library quietly. He locked the door behind him and turned to see Hermione crying at a table towards the back of the Library. He walked over to her and sat down.
"Before you say anything let me talk" he said. Hermione glared at him.
"Why should I huh? You are nothing but a filthy Slytherin and I'm…well I was just a filthy Mudblood to you but I guess you can't call me that now can you?" Hermione said to him through clenched teeth.
"Look. I only did that because I had to ok. I am not who you think I am…my loyalty lies within these castle walls…with Dumbledore. He has shown me that there is more to life than killing innocent people. I resent my father for who he is and my mother and I are much better off with him locked up in Azkaban. He means nothing to me and neither does You-Know-Who." Draco said in his defence. "For your information it was I who told the Ministry where my father kept his Dark Arts object as only I knew where they were because he believed me to be as evil and disgusting as himself."
Hermione looked at Draco in shock as he told her this. How could she not believe him now? He was pouring his heart out to her and she just couldn't find it in her to believe him. Dumbledore had been known to make mistakes in trusting people before.
"Why should I believe you? I have just been told that I am in fact a pure blood witch and this is something Dumbledore has known all along. How can you expect me to believe you when everyone around me has lied to me all my life?" Draco didn't know what to say. He sat there watching Hermione worried that she might do something stupid, what he didn't know. She continued to glare at him.
"Look I'm going to bed ok…I…I need sleep" Hermione stood and left the Library running all the way to the Gryffindor common room. Draco returned to the Slytherin common room shrugging of Pansy Parkinson by saying he was really tired and he went up to his room to think about everything that had just happened.