Hermione
Hogsmeade / Hogwarts
May 2nd 1998
"So do we just walk in?"
Hermione turned to Draco, or at least where the sound of his voice came from. The two were disillusioned right outside the gate of the Shrieking Shack.
She watched the perimeter of the house for any signs they shouldn't proceed. Other than the house being dreadfully eerie, there appeared to be no other reasons to delay.
"I suppose we should," Hermione reckoned.
A disembodied hand took hold of her own, and squeezed it.
She wished she could look at him. Ever since the moment her old memories began seeping through, the simple act of getting to look at him, now without confusion about the feelings brewing within her, instead knowing full well she was in love with him, made her whole body light up with a buzzing happiness.
Though, perhaps it was for the best that she couldn't see him. Her mind tended to go fuzzy and distracted, and now was not the time to be either of those things.
"Lets go Granger, we wouldn't want Potter and Weasley to have all the fun," Draco brought her hand along as they made their way through the rickety, open gate which led to the house.
She kept silent, not wanting her fear for her friends to distract from the task at hand. Draco had revealed before they apparated outside Hogsmeade that the town proper was warded to sound an alarm if anyone apparated directly within the town's perimeter. Knowing Harry and Ron, they would have likely gone straight into town. Her hand trembled slightly in Draco's grip.
Approaching the door to the shack, she noted it looked like it hadn't been oiled in a century. She cast a quick muffliato charm to cover them, which was smart, seeing as how when they gave it the smallest push, the door let out a whine that could be heard back in London.
The two tentatively stepped over the threshold and cast a look around the decrepit dwelling. The walls were covered in a dismal gray-green flower wallpaper. Ahead of them, the wooden stairs leading to the second floor were busted and rotting. Above, a gaudy chandelier hung from the center of the entryway, covered in cobwebs.
Hermione went to take another step forward when Draco stilled. Suddenly his arm jutted out in front of her disillusioned form.
Her body stiffened and attempted to attune her ears to her surroundings, trying to hear what he had. She heard nothing. The outline to Draco's disillusioned face angled upward, towards the stairs.
"I think someone is here," his mouth was directly over her ear, his voice barely audible.
She trained her ears once again to pick up any sound, but she couldn't. Even so, she trusted him, and knew there was something in the house to be wary of.
Quietly, Hermione ushered them through the rotting entryway, and tiptoed into the sitting room. In a corner was the bookcase they were looking for. They positioned themselves before it, and with a quick motion, Draco moved the bookcase soundlessly to the side, revealing a tunnel.
Descending into the darkened hole, she noted how it was more cramped than before, which would be expected. The last time she had traversed the tunnel was third year.
She felt Draco angle in behind her. A beat later, he moved the bookcase back to its original position, and they descended into utter darkness. Each lit their wands, giving the appearance of two disembodied orbs of illumination emanating out of nowhere.
Crouching as she walked, she forged the way ahead. The tunnel was made of hardened, cool mud, with moss creeping out in swaths. Occasionally, in leading their pursuit, she would get a face full of cobwebs.
The walk was endless, like it went on and on, but that feeling could have been influenced by the uncomfortable conditions, and her fraying nerves at the thought of breaking into Hogwarts.
Finally, a glimmer of cool twilight sun poked through what looked to be overgrown vines and fresh roots at the base of whomping willow, marking an end to their treacherous, cramped journey.
Stepping out onto the Hogwarts grounds sent a shiver down Hermione's spine. She never grew tired of how her body reacted to the school after long periods of time away. The air was different there, fresher somehow; it brimmed with opportunity.
Draco made quick work of hovering a heavy rock towards them, having been made aware it was the only way to disable the trashing tree above them. As he took care of his bit, Hermione re-grew the ivy and brush which had been covering the tunnel.
In a hushed tone, Hermione turned to the space she believed Draco standing in.
"Where to?"
His hand reached out, fumbling by her side until he located her hand and took hold of it. She gave it a squeeze and he guided them ahead.
This was the deal they struck before they headed out; Hermione could get them onto the grounds, and Draco could get them into the castle itself. He was more familiar with the current operation at the school, and also alluded to closely kept Slytherin secrets that aided in their efforts to do whatever it was they pleased at Hogwarts.
He led her across the grounds, towards the main entrance, but then took a turn down a narrow, pebble-strewn corridor hardly big enough to fit more than one person across. After a claustrophobic walk, they came across a weathered door which was easily unlocked.
Now inside a tiny room, with the door secured behind them, Hermione looked around and couldn't help but laugh.
Draco dropped both of their disillusionment charms. Seeing his face made her skin prickle; she found it genuinely difficult to restrain herself from taking hold of it.
"What is amusing you, Granger?" he asked, his eyes finally settling on hers after doing a perimeter sweep. Unlike Hermione, he did not restrain himself. His hand reached out and took her by the waist, bringing her into him.
"It's just, if Gryffindors and Slytherins ever teamed up, we'd collectively know every last secret about this castle," she looked around the spot they occupied. "I think it may be intentional they pit us against one another. They wouldn't be able to stop us."
Draco laughed softly as he lit his wand, fully exposing the small keeper's closet. Hermione gave another cursory glance around the dusty old room.
"What is this place anyway?"
"It's Filchs' old work room. In third year we put a sticking charm on the door. He was too proud to tell Dumbledore he couldn't get back in, so he abandoned it, and we commandeered in the name of all Slytherins. It was our own personal exit and entrance to the grounds. "
Hermione looked horrified and slapped his arm. "That's horrible!" He softly chuckled, drawing her into him until their bodies were flush against one another.
"I'm sure I wouldn't do it now," he reasoned, pushing her hair back towards her ear, his eyes locked with hers. His eyes drifted to her lips when they went tight with disappointment. "See, you'd give me this look and I'd fall apart."
She tried to maintain her judgemental stare, but it broke into a grin. He leaned down and kissed her swiftly, taking advantage of her weakness for him.
"Enough with your past indiscretions. Where does this door open to?"
Draco gave her a devilish smirk. "Try not to swoon Granger, but I charmed the door to open wherever one requests it to open."
Her eyes widened, giving away her earnest surprise. Conducting a spell like that, even as a sixth year, would be exceedingly difficult.
She cooled her look, raising a brow. "That is impressive."
"How impressive?" He goaded, dipping his chin to her upturned face. She delicately wrapped her hands around his neck, pulled him towards her, and gave him a soft, lingering kiss.
"Very impressive," she confirmed for him, her lips only inches away from his. She smiled at his look of satisfaction.
Now appeased, Draco turned and spoke clearly into the tattered door, "Seventh floor, north east corridor."
The door shuttered, then glowed faintly. When the door opened, they were directly across from the blank wall which gave way to the Room of Requirement.
Before stepping through the door, her body buzzed. She turned towards Draco who was finishing a disillusionment charm on himself. When she looked down at her outstretched arm, she found she was already disillusioned.
Hermione marched over to the blank wall of the Room of Requirement and started a first pass. In her head she repeated: I need a place to hide something.
After her third pass, she turned to see the door materialize, but the wall remained blank.
"It didn't work," she said in a hush, knowing he was nearby.
Draco's disillusionment faded away. "Let me try it without the charm."
Hermione watched as Draco did what she had, only without being concealed. After he paced three times, they both looked and again, saw nothing.
"Snape's got a lotta nerve! Calling us at this late an hour."
The unfamiliar woman's voice echoed up the hallway to where Hermione and Draco stood. Draco turned swiftly to Hermione and disillusioned himself before taking her hand.
"That's Alecto Carrow," he was already pulling her at a smart pace down the hallway.
"Don't let him wind you up, Alecto," another voice echoed behind them.
"And Amycus. The Carrows." Draco added as he continued to guide them quickly away from the source of the voices.
They reached a crossroads and both paused. Every option posed risks, but Hermione figured the Great Hall would be the safest bet. She yanked his hand as she took the lead, sending them down a path to their new destination.
Now running, Hermione did her best to keep her breathing quiet despite the adrenaline coursing through her veins. As they were about to turn the final corner leading them to the Great Hall, Draco suddenly stopped. Now still, Hermione could hear voices ahead and held her breath.
"Professor! We need access to the school. There is something hidden here we need!" a familiar voice caused Hermione's chest to clench.
"Harry," she muttered, her feet moving forward out from their concealed corner. Draco gripped her hand, trying to hold her back, but her body in motion could not be stopped.
Draco dropped both of their illusions, taking the lead and angling himself in front of her as her trance led her forward.
The first face she saw rounding the corner was Professor Mcgonagall. Immediately behind her was Harry and Luna.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted, breaking out into a run. Harry's face twisted into confusion and panic all at once until he saw Hermione. Once the recognition hit him, his features exploded into relief.
"Hermione!" the shaggy haired wizard broke out into a sprint towards his friend.
"Ms Granger!" Professor McGonagall tutted out, but not before the two friends had collided into one another, tears already streaming down Hermione's face.
"Hermione! I'm so glad you're safe."
"Harry, you're safe!"
The two were speaking at the same time while also inspecting the others limbs for mortal injuries.
"You'd do well to keep your voices down!" McGonagall scolded, rushing over to their reunion. The old but spritely witch's eyes drifted and caught sight of Draco.
"Mr. Malfoy!" her hand hovered over her wand out of instinct; the conflict in her eyes apparent at the possibility of turning her wand on a former student.
"Professor he is with us," Hermione corrected quickly, seeing the look of apprehension on her former instructor's face. Her hand reached out for his and pulled him into their circle.
Professor McGonagall stared at where their hands connected, looking more perplexed than Hermione had ever seen her. Her attention moved to Harry who was also burning a hole into the spot their hands came together. His eyes lifted to Hermione.
"It's a long story, but I don't have my memory back yet." Hermione quickly informed her friend, who turned a look of betrayal over at Draco. Hermione took a step in. "Harry, he didn't tell me."
"Deeply held feelings like love are near impossible to fully suppress," Luna remarked from the outskirts of their circle. The group made a spot for her, and the witch smiled serenely back at the occupants.
Hermione focused back on Harry. "Harry, what is going on?"
His face shook away the recent developments and narrowed. "We have to find the lost Diadem of Ravenclaw. It's the second to last you know what."
Of course it was a relic from one of the other founders! Hermione's face lit up, but dimmed quickly, remembering an important description of the item: That it was lost. No one had seen it for years.
Harry turned to McGonagall. "Professor, I'm almost certain Voldemort knows we are here and will attack soon."
With a tight nod, McGonagall turned from her former students, swished her wand and produced four glowing cats which hovered in front of her, awaiting instructions.
She looked at three of the four cats. "Tell the heads of house they need to bring their students to the great hall at once. The school needs to be evacuated."
Three of the glowing creatures brandished off. She turned to the final cat. "Tell the head boy and girl of Gryffindor to do the same. At once!" The final cat scurried off.
The group's attention was pulled away when loud, clomping footsteps echoed from a nearby hallway. There was little time to react before two grimy looking characters rounded the hallway, scuttering to a stop and directing their wands at the students and McGonagall. The witch's eyes enlarged at seeing Malfoy. Her broad lips broke out into a grin.
"Malfoy's already got 'em!" the woman, who Hermione presumed to be Alecto, shrieked. Alecto lowered her wand lower, assuming their work was already done for them.
"Nice work Malfoy!" the other one, likely Amycus, stated before turning to his sister. "See, I told you he was here for a reason. You were having kittens about it! Oh no, it seems odd Malfoy is here at Hogwarts, I don't think he has orders to be here, we should tell someone…" Amycus mocked the other Carrow, adjusting his voice to sound like an obnoxious version of her.
Hermione questioned what he meant at the mention of having already seen Draco, but had to focus on the Carrows who were approaching them.
Draco sighed and lifted his wand until it was level with their chests. The carrows shared a heartbeat of awareness before he stunned each of them in rapid succession. With each on the ground, he bound them, lifted them, and moved them to the side of the walkway.
"I apologize for what they called you, Professor." Draco told his former Professor stiffly. McGonagall's mouth was wide with shock which only deepened when he took hold of Hermione's hand once again.
Another dark form emerged from the hallway where the Carrows had just crumbled. This figure made no sound at their approach. It was almost as if he glided into being there.
"Minerva what on earth is going on!"
Snape's cold, black eyes were cast down on the Carrows before rearranging back to his colleague, then to those standing around her.
The grey, older witch took a commanding step in front of her former students, putting them firmly behind her.
"Severus, you would do well to vacate the castle at once!" her voice was piercing as her wand leveled onto the dark wizard's chest.
Snape made no move for his wand. Hermione watched from the other side of the hallway as her former Potions and Dark Arts Professor remained still, except for his wandering eye.
Even with a good distance between the two parties, she could feel Snape's eyes on the vicinity of where here and Draco stood. She chanced a glance at Draco who returned a look to Snape she could not understand. The pressure of his grip on her hand grew.
After a beat, Snape refocused on McGonagall, and took a step forward.
"...Minerva"
He couldn't finish his thought. A stunner erupted from McGonagall's wand the second he moved to approach them.
Snape easily brushed it off, but his body went rigid, not daring to move.
The dark haired professor at the other end of the hallway adjusted his attention onto Harry for a brief time before redirecting back to Draco. Hermione noted the professor held her partner's stare for too long. It was the type of look requiring additional context.
"Severus, GO!" McGonagall snarled, raising her wand to strike once again. As she did, Snape's form reduced to black smoke, swirled violently, crashing through a near window and disappearing into the abyss.
Hermione rounded on Draco who was still staring at the spot where Snape had escaped. Her hand took hold of his jaw, gently guiding it towards her.
She monitored his eyes, which bore an unease.
"Draco, are you OK?" her thumb moved over his chin. His eyes finally focused on hers before he reached out and mimicked her embrace, taking hold of her cheek.
"Yes," his voice was strained. "I will explain to you later. I don't think now is the right time."
She nodded in his hand before turning her cheek to kiss his finger tips.
They had hardly a few seconds before a new sound built in the surrounding hallways off in the distance. Unlike the clomping footsteps of the Carrows, or the silent approach of Snape, the sound was of softer feet, and in much larger quantities.
"Now now this way," the high pitched voice of Professor Flitwick called out from one direction, leading the Ravenclaws.
"Keep in line!" rang the husky voice of Professor Sprout, coming from yet another hallway, bringing the Hufflepuffs.
"Right on, come on now," bellowed professor Slughorn, bringing forth the Slytherins.
"Stay in line, please!" called the Gryffindor head boy, his voice panicked and overwhelmed.
The Gryffindors were the first to emerge, stepping out from the hallway the Carrows were stowed away in.
"The Carrows!" a younger student shrieked with glee.
"Kick em!" another voice suggested. There was a thud, then cheers. "Kick em again!" More cheers.
The Hufflepuffs rounded the corridor opposite of where the Gryffindors came from. More affirmative sounds rang out at the demise of the Carrows, some students declaring they were dead, which was followed by applause.
From the opposite end of the hallway, the Ravenclaws and Slytherins bled together like two rivers merging into one. These two houses had no crumpled Carrows to cheer about, and likely would have held themselves to a higher standard than to kick teachers. This gaggle of students, however, was the first to notice the elephant in the room.
"It's Harry Potter!"
It started as buzzed whispers which built into shouts. Hermione watched as certain students put two and two together as to why they were being gathered so late at night, and their expressions turned cold.
She watched as the nervous looks turned to Malfoy, who stood amongst a crowd no one in Hogwarts would ever have bet for him to be a part of.
"Why is Malfoy with them?" a passing Slytherin asked, their eyes narrowing on their former king.
"Is he holding hands with Granger?" someone else questioned, sounding outraged and disgusted.
His hand clasped down on hers, refusing to balk at the onlooker's questions. A rush of emotions passed over her; he did not fear being seen with her.
"That Luna girl is with them too," another voice chimed in.
The dreamy Ravenclaw's face brightened "Oh they know my name!" She turned to Hermione and Draco, "and they didn't call me Luny."
Hermione watched as Draco couldn't fight off a growing smirk.
The last of the students entered the Great Hall, Hermione and their motley crew just outside the doors with McGonagall, when a tortured cry lept from Harry's chest. He grabbed hold of his forehead and clawed at it painfully.
Then, the disembodied voice of Voldemort rang out throughout all of Hogwarts.
"This is Voldemort speaking to you." At the declaration, some students screamed, a few whimpered, but almost all looked to the ceiling.
"I do not want to spill a drop of magical blood. My battle is not with you. My quarrel is with Harry Potter who is in Hogwarts, and must be handed over at once."
After regaining control of the pain, Harry made his way into the Great Hall where the voice echoed loudest, the rest of their group following behind. As soon as Harry stepped through the threshold, moments after Voldemort declared him the only target, more than a hundred sets of eyes descended on the Chosen One.
"You have one hour to hand over Harry Potter, otherwise we will attack." the voice concluded, leaving behind a hollow echo to reverberate within the hall.
An eerie silence fell over the great room. Not even the subtle sound of a shoe shuffling against the cobble stone floor could be heard.
The tension snapped.
"He's right there, someone get him!" A witch called out, shattering the silence. Every eye in the room shifted towards a skinny looking witch Hermione did not recognize. She stood at the front of the Slytherins.
Hermione stepped forward, positioning herself between Harry and the person who threatened him. Luna followed shortly after. Draco also stepped forward, but his priority appeared to be protecting her, having put himself between her and his former house.
With Draco's movement, the Slytherin students fixated their scrutiny on the former outspoken leader of the Slytherin house and all things pureblood. They didn't understand what it meant that he was on the opposite side, standing alongside Harry.
"Attention students." McGonnagal called out, bringing all houses back to her as the focal point. "We will be evacuating you all immediately through the grand fireplace. We have set up a connection with several safehouses where you will be distributed until we can alert each of your households."
"What if we want to fight!" someone questioned, the declaration piercing through the crowd. Hermione could not tell which house it was from, but judging by crossed arms and looks of apprehension from the Slytherin house, it was not one of them.
A mixed chorus of "Yeah," "Same" and "I'm fighting" broke out, the register of the voices ranging from those who sounded old enough to make such a decision, and those who couldn't be more than eleven or twelve.
While McGonnagal attempted to quell the protests, Hermione found Draco's attention back on the Slytherins. His former house only had eyes for him, and upon a deeper look, Hermione noticed for many of them, they didn't return a look of hatred. It almost appeared like they sought guidance, some expressions giving way to their curiosity of his new alignment.
Over to the side, the professors gathered and spoke in hushed tones before turning back to the students.
"If you're of age, you may stay and fight."
Deep toned cheers and squeaky protests rang into the air, but the Slytherins still remained neutral. They made no sound and only watched Draco.
"Malfoy," a voice from the Slytherin house finally called out. It was Millicent Bulstrode and she sounded lost and confused. "You changed sides?"
Another Slytherin, much taller and older than Millicent turned to the others in his house. It looked like Marcus Flint.
"He's just another filthy blood traitor."
Draco's initial reaction to the comment was an exasperated sigh and a tightened hold on Hermione's hand. As the silence extended though, his body tensed.
With the exception of a few Slytherins who looked disgusted at his change of opinion, the majority of his former housemates looked torn between curiosity and fear, like they were facing a choice.
Draco's head turned down to hers, and he watched her; his pupils darted over the contours of her face, like he was reminding himself of something.
He slowly leaned down to her, placing a gentle kiss against her cheek before turning and facing the Slytherin house.
"Let me ask you a question, Flint," Draco's voice boomed as he moved closer to his former house, making a direct line for the one who called him a blood traitor. When he was in front of the wizard, their height matching within an inch, his voice lowered to a growl but still carried throughout the room.
"And I'd like you to be fucking honest with me. Do you really think your blood, your BLOOD is better in some way because of who your parents were?"
The tall scrawny wizard tried to maintain an air of confidence as he spoke. "Yes."
As soon as the words were out of Flint's mouth, Draco pressed on.
"Why?"
The wizard looked confused, his eyes quickly darting around Draco's face.
"I asked you a question, why do you think your blood is better? Purebloods have been willing to kill over it for generations, so we must have a decent reason right?" Draco's voice was tight and commanding as he pursued his point. "So tell me Flint, what is the reason you think our blood is better than theirs?"
After a lengthy pause, Draco's head turned over his shoulder and caught sight of Hermione. He turned back to Flint. "Do you think you're better than her?"
Flint's face hardened, like he was ready to regain his voice, but before he could say anything Draco went on.
"That was fucking rhetorical Flint. I'll put it simply: You are not better than her. She is one of the best witches of our time and you are far beneath her league. Our parents, our bloodline, does not make us better and their parents do not make them worse."
Something twitched in Flint's expression and Draco stepped into him.
"And don't start with any, 'they stole our magic' bullshit," Draco shoved a finger in his chest, keeping his words sharp. "That is a mental theory used to control us. So if you're still on that one, Flint, you need to grow the fuck up."
The room had gone back to the eerie silence from before, but Draco didn't waiver as he stepped back and directed his attention to the rest of the Slytherins who looked open to a new way of thinking.
"Look, if you feel compelled to kill, to hate others, and you can't even explain the reason why, so be it. That is your choice. But ask yourself, are you willing to die for that choice, to split your soul in two for it? I made my choice. You have to make yours."
Warm tears tracked down her cheeks as splotchy red patches formed against her skin. Her eyes tore away from Draco and saw a look of utter shock on Harry's face.
Draco, having finished his impromptu speech, looked around after no one spoke and threw his hands up. "That's it! Get on with it, do what you will!"
Professor McGonagall came to her senses and resumed ushering the younger students towards the fireplace in the back.
The room thinned out until there was only a fraction of students left in the hall. A solemn invisible tone ruminated among those staying behind
Draco had moved back to Hermione, and like he was reading her mind of what she wanted in, swooped down to her lips and brushed them with his for a tender kiss. Any sound coming from the remaining students turned into a soft buzz as she took hold of his neck and pulled him into her as forcefully as she could.
When he parted from her, their eyes locked. Ever since their past began to resurface, she was in a perpetual state of feeling whole.
"I love you," he whispered, his piercing gray eyes boring into her honeyed ones. Her lips tugged into a smile, and so did his.
"I love you too," she shifted on her toes until she could place one more kiss against his lips.
Once they parted, it looked like the evacuation was nearing completion, and all that remained were the students who would fight. She took stock of who remained behind and found almost half of the Slytherin house stayed, out-pacing the volunteers from the Ravenclaw house. Perhaps the house often seen as selfish, or even cruel was never given a second option to choose from. They were painted into a corner too difficult to step out from.
"Harry!"
The voice broke Hermione's train of thought. It was Ron. She caught sight of the red head barreling around the Grand Hall's doorway as she looked up.
Ron's eyes met Hermione's as he neared them and came to a stuttering halt, dropping some of the items he had in his hand. "Hermione?" his eyes screwed up in confusion. "Malfoy said you weren't here, that he made you stay behind in Hogsmeade."
"You think Granger would listen to me if I told her to stay behind?" Draco questioned, stepping into view. Ron's eyes grew wide. "Also, what the hell are you talking about?"
Ron's eyes darted between Hermione and Draco, his expression unraveling into madness.
Over Ron's shoulder, Hermione saw two more bodies rounding the corner to the Great Hall: Theo and Draco.
Her eyes snapped back to the Draco standing next to her. This one had not yet seen the duplicate of himself, but when he did, his eyes widened, but after two beats, realization swept over him and he groaned.
"Pansy you didn't," the Draco next to Hermione called out before shooting Theo a targeted look.
Theo rose his hands in defense. "It was the best way to keep us all safe! No one was ever the wiser you left after the whole fiasco at the Manor." Theo argued, looking at the Draco who was closest to him.
The second Draco finally spotted the original Draco nearest to Hermione, and in seeing their mirrored version, sighed gratefully and dropped all physicalities giving the indication that they were Draco.
"Thank Merlin this is shit is over," fake Draco made a dramatic sighing gesture as they approached the group and reached into their pocket. In a swift movement, they uncorked a bottle and tipped back the contents.
Fake Draco's exterior bubbled and condensed on itself until all that remained was Pansy Parkinson in oversized wizard's robes which she transfigured promptly to be more form fitting.
The only remaining Draco stared at Pansy, as did Hermione. She was stunned, even after transforming back to her original form, Pansy looked flawless.
"A thank you would be nice, Draco," Pansy brushed her shoulder like she was annoyed. "Something like, ''thank you Pansy for risking your life to keep my family safe,' or 'thank you Pansy for…'"
"Thank you Pansy," Draco stepped forward, his voice devastatingly sincere. Her smug expression fell away. "I mean it, thank you."
Pansy looked apprehensive, not used to the level of sincerity shown by Draco. Finally, she cleared her throat. "Granger has made you soft." she muttered out, her voice attempting to infuse whatever level of cynicism she could muster into the comment.
Off to the side, Ron's expression morphed, like it had just dawned on something.
"This makes sense now," he broke the silence, now looking at Pansy. "After I ran into you and Theo, I thought it was weird, especially since Hermione wasn't with you, but the whole time you were with me I was thinking, 'huh, Malfoy isn't being a massive twat, something is off.'"
Pansy looked affronted. "Please Weasley, don't flatter yourself."
Ron held Pansy's look and pressed on. "It was when I used parseltongue to get into the Chamber of Secrets. You said, 'wow, impressive' and I thought, that can't be Malfoy."
It looked like Pansy was about to object further when Harry cut in. "You went into the Chamber of Secrets?"
Ron nodded, presenting an arm full of what looked like bones. "The sword of Gryffindor is impregnated with basslick venom. So I went to the source"
"Brilliant!" Hermione and Harry exclaimed at once, patting Ron on the shoulder, jostling him enough to send another fang loose, clattering to the ground.
Pansy crossed her arms and gestured loosely with one hand to the two congratulating Ron. "See it is impressive."
"You don't even know why we need these," Ron shot back, giving Pansy a look.
"Well they're impressed, so what's the big deal if I was!" Pansy retorted, her eyes angling away from Ron's. Hermione caught Ron's cheeks going slightly red.
"Theo?"
Theo turned from their circle and saw Luna, pushing through a crowd of students who were anxiously waiting for the fight to begin.
"Luna?" his pace was already quickening towards the Ravenclaw. When they collided, Theo looked her over, his eyes glazed with worry. "What are you doing here?"
"We're fighting!" she said in a tone one might use to announce they were having a picnic.
Theo didn't hesitate. His hand reached out, cupping her face which fit perfectly into the plane of his hand, and kissed her.
A few students ooooo'd and whistled. Pansy, off to the side, scoffed.
"Is everyone coupling up now?" Her eyes accidentally drifted past Ron's then darted away.
Luna pulled Theo back to the group, smiling giddily as if they weren't about to fight a swarm of Death Eaters and Voldemort himself.
"Harry, should we go look for the diadem in the Ravenclaw common room now?" Luna questioned.
"What's a diadem?" Theo looked lost.
"It looks like a tiara. The lost diadem is subdued in its appearance, however. There were no gems, rather it looked like ribbons of metal woven together." the description sparked something behind Draco's eyes.
"How long has it been lost?"
"For a very long time," Luna told him solemnly.
"In the Room of Requirement, right by the vanishing cabinet," Draco began, turning his attention to Hermione. A memory surfaced, much like her other more intimate ones with Draco. It was hazy, but she recalled spending a great deal of time by the vanishing cabinet. There was something gaudy to the left of it.
"There was a bust!" Hermione choked out, eyes wide, surprised she could recall that bit of information.
"With the feather boa," Draco continued, looking pleased Hermione continued to recall their history together.
Her skin warmed, her thoughts scattered but quickly forming into something coherent. She could see the diadem in her mind's eye.
"This is disgusting, they're like one person." Pansy remarked offhandedly. Ron unexpectedly laughed.
"Harry, the diadem. It's in the Room of Requirement." Hermione said, her words hurried.
"It's our best lead yet," Harry contemplated to himself before turning back to Hermione. "Do you have the cup on you? We can do them both at the same time."
"Draco took care of it." her voice brimming with pride. Harry's expression looked mixed; both like he wanted to know more, and also needed to know when Draco was informed of the fact they were hunting horcruxes. After a beat though, he moved on, thinking better of wasting time with questions, and leaned into Ron. He plucked out a fang, and handed it to Hermione.
"You should do it. You deserve to destroy one."
Hermione took hold of the ivory weapon, gripping it tightly with a trembling hand. Her mouth went dry at the same time her pulse quickened.
To the side, Pansy cleared her throat.
"I presume this is a very important moment for all of you, but would someone mind explaining to the rest of us what the hell you all are talking about?"
The original trio cast wary glances at each before Draco spoke.
"We'll tell you later, Pans," Draco smirked as Pansy looked ready to riot, "You're not going to believe us when we tell you anyway."