A/N: I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter, even if you didn't exactly get it. I will explain to answer questions in a few sentences. Anyway, generally speaking I don't even write a new chapter until two or even three weeks after the previous one was posted. But I'm just in the mood for this Important!Chapter.Reviews: Some people were confused by the dream. Two people got half of the answer. There was both fore and backshadowing in Draco's dream. The fore- was the part that did not go along with the rest, the back- was the woman, the shirtless man who looked like his father, and all the dead people. But to those who did not understand it, or wondered what Hermione and Blaise were doing in the past, I have something to say to you. 1: Whoever told you dreams occurred in linear time? They were wrong. 2: What, you've never had a weird dream in which nothing went together or really made sense? Because I know I have. There is another matter to address; that of whether Hermione is a dark creature. It was an interesting idea, but in your own words, you're seeing things that aren't there. Hermione is just a human. Lupin's meaningful comment was meaningful because he is a werewolf - a dark creature.
That was long. I think it's time for the chapter.
The Negative Side
Out In The Open
Being in the same class as Hermione and Blaise, Harry and Draco had to accomplish the same task. They met on Sunday just after lunch, and they were much more successful as a pair on their first attempt than the others had been.Draco knew the same spell that Blaise did for detecting dark magic. He cast it quietly so Harry wouldn't hear the words. "Compertus maleficus." Immediately, a whispy jet of a dark, misty substance shot out of his wand and began to tangle through the trees. As it started to fade from the end, he said to Harry, "Come on, hurry or we'll lose it!" He took off through the trees, following the trail.
Unfortunately, due to the headstart the mist had, he could not keep up. It faded fast before his eyes. Draco stopped running when he realized that he had lost both the spell and Harry. He turned back, cursing, and called, "Potter?"
A moment later, a voice called back, "Yeah. Where are you?"
Draco walked to the source of the voice, and found Harry leaning against a tree, fumbling with his shoelace. "What happened to you?"
Harry rolled his eyes. "Rock in my shoe," he muttered. He pulled his shoe off with a jerk, and a small, hard object flew out and bounced off a tree a few feet from Draco's head. Thinking he heard something a little way off, Draco took a few steps back in the direction he had been running, and peered through the trees. Nothing more revealed anyone else but the two of them. Sighing, he returned to Harry, who had put his shoe back on.
"I thought you were detecting some dark magic," said Harry.
"I was, but the spell ended before I could find-" Draco cut himself off, turning the way the mist had indicated once again as he thought. He did the Malfoy equivalent of hitting himself in the forehead, which happened to be hexing an inanimate object. "I knew something wasn't right about that! Potter, the spell I used would only end like that for one reason. It can only be detected by a certain warning spell, which I am fairly sure only a few incredibly competent wizards know. This spell does not tell whoever cast it if they have been spied on, but diminishes the locator too quickly for anyone to follow it. But the shield, the warning spell, will only work while the person who set it up is in the vicinity."
Comprehension dawned on Harry, as Draco could tell from his face. "Which means that someone is casting dark spells in this forest right now."
Draco nodded, held a finger to his lips, and turned to walk quietly through the trees. He looked back once to be sure Harry followed, but then he put all his concentration into tracking. Most wizards would know nothing about hunting, and his father would probably have grounded him if he had discovered Draco knew, but he had begun to learn at a young age how to track by Muggle means. He was just as puzzled now by the fact that it had been his mother's request as he had been at the beginning of his training.
"Draco," Harry whispered. Draco looked sharply at him, but something in Harry's face made him curious. He gestured for him to continue. "Why didn't you let me hear that spell?"
The question was asked bluntly, as he would expect, but the nature of the question was so un-Gryffindor that he was too shocked to answer for a moment. When he had recovered, he still hesitated. The truth was that Harry got into enough trouble on his own, and Draco did not want to see what would happen if he had another guide to the dark forces of the wizarding world. However, he would not dare let Harry know that he was trying to protect him. Instead of answering, he turned his head and listened intently to the rustling of leaves. He then beckoned for Harry to trail him.
Soon enough, they came upon the wizard casting the dark spells he had found with Compertus Maleficus. Draco prided himself on his ability to creep behind someone unnoticed. He could not boast the same of Harry Potter. He heard a twig break, but oddly, it did not come from behind him. It came from the other side of the stranger. Cursing headstrong Gryffindors for not following his directions, he whipped out his wand. He couldn't risk that Harry would lose in a duel.
"Amburere!" Draco proclaimed. A bolt of white fire exploded from the tip of his wand, hitting the man in the back. He winced and turned, pointing his own wand at Draco. "Stupefy!" Draco said. The man was struck before he could get out a spell, and crumpled to the ground.
Harry blew out a breath. "Good work."
Draco nodded in response. He trod to the prone form and turned it over with his foot. "It's not anyone I recognize, but I don't doubt he's a Death Eater. It looks like he never got to accomplish his task here. I think the spells he used were mainly preparation."
Harry approached them warily, surveying the man's supplies. "I wonder what he was doing. Do you know how to find out what spells he used?"
Draco looked around at the cloths and vials lying on the forest floor, and he knew immediately what the man had intended. Blood collecting. But the blood of whom…or what? He emitted a low whistle.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Nothing. We should do something with this guy."
Harry nodded, and pointed his wand at the unconscious man. "Mobilicorpus!" Instead of rising from the ground, he disappeared as though Apparating. Not only was that impossible on Hogwarts grounds, but it was impossible while unconscious. Draco and Harry looked at each other, alarmed. "Should we take this stuff with us?" Harry asked after a moment.
Draco looked at it all. He consented, "I suppose. At least some of the professors should know what was going on here." This was true; hopefully, if any of them suspected he knew, it would only be Dumbledore.
On their way back to the castle, Harry returned to an earlier question. "You never told me why you said that spell so quietly."
Draco looked straight ahead for a while. He still did not know what to tell Harry about it. They were both silent for a few minutes, until Harry spoke. "Draco?"
"Listen, it's just not for me to teach you." Draco had never bothered with things like this in the past, but it was the truth. Even if Harry could stay out of trouble with it, he himself would get into trouble if he was caught teaching dark spells. He glanced at Harry, who had just opened his mouth to respond. "Drop it, all right?"
Looking displeased, Harry didn't say anything else about it. Instead, he asked, "Should we tell Dumbledore about the Death Eater?"
"We'll have to, won't we? Otherwise, how would we explain all this stuff?" Draco retorted, gesturing at the wizard's confiscated supplies. "Unless you're proposing we should keep it."
"Why not? It's what I would have done in past years."
Draco cleared his throat discreetly. He was not sure he wanted the Gryffindors to find out what the man had been doing, as they surely would if Hermione had the chance to investigate. "Let's just get back to the castle and see, shall we?"
Harry halted suddenly. "Wait." Draco turned, raising an eyebrow at him in question. "What are we going to tell Lupin? We didn't find out what spells he was using, and I'm guessing you don't want to reveal the tracking spell that you used."
"Good point," said Draco. "We'll either have to do it again, or lie." He looked expectantly at Harry, and nodded. "I thought so. We'll come back tomorrow during lunch. We can easily bring something to eat along with us."
"Well, I'm sure Ron won't miss me for a day. He seems to be fairly distracted these days."
"And no one would ever know why," Draco muttered sardonically. It was no secret, at least within Slytherin House, that Ron had possessed a romantic interest in Hermione for the past year. Draco suppressed a smirk at the thought that he had beat Weasley to Hermione's lips.
"What? You think you know him or something?" Harry demanded. Draco just shook his head. Gryffindors…
They found Hermione within the fringe of the forest. She greeted them distantly, and Harry asked, "What were you doing in there?"
She directly met their gazes and said, "I expect the same as you two. I was doing some of the homework. Blaise couldn't make it, but I didn't want us to get behind. I know, Harry, we aren't supposed to go into the woods alone. I didn't go far; it was fine."
Draco's brow just barely furrowed. Blaise had told him that Hermione would be busy that day, and they would not be working on the Defense assignment. He said that he had suggested to her that they get it done during the weekend, but she had something else to do that afternoon. He was not going to tell Harry, but he wondered.
What was Hermione up to?
"By the way, Harry, I need to speak to you and Ron right away."
"No problem. I have one thing to do, but I'll meet you in the common room in fifteen minutes," said Harry. Hermione nodded and quickened her stride. Once she was out of earshot, Harry turned to Draco. "Were you just thinking that Hermione is up to something? Because I was, too."
Just after dinner that same night, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny gathered in the Room of Requirement. The room was smaller this time, with a few couches set close together. It was appropriate for their intentions, as could be expected. The three of them waited, Harry impatiently. Only a few minutes passed before the door opened, and Draco and Blaise walked in.
"Ever heard of punctuality?" Harry muttered. He turned his head as he sat to see Draco smirk amusedly, and glared at him.
"Good, now that we're all here, we can start," Hermione said.
"Wait a minute," Draco interrupted. "What happened to the tall redhead who is normally surgically attached to the two of you?" It did not take someone of great intelligence to know he was talking about Ron.
Harry glanced down as he said, "He wouldn't come."
"Wouldn't?"
"Yes, wouldn't, did you not hear me the first time? Wouldn't, as in refused," snapped Harry.
"All right, calm down, Potter."
He was not really annoyed with Draco, but with Ron. He had tried his hardest to convince him that the Slytherins did not have some underlying motive. He had explained how Draco had pretty much saved his life in the forest, but Ron's anger only increased the more Harry defended Draco Malfoy. Now, he knew Ron would not speak to him for a while.
"Right, we need to-" Hermione started, but cut off because Blaise and Ginny were sharing a look. Harry nearly forgot the argument he was having with his best friend as he fought down his grin.
"You're Ron Weasley's sister, right?"
"Ginny Weasley," she said, smiling amicably.
"I'm Blaise Zabini," he introduced himself.
Ginny just nodded. "I know."
At that point, Draco jumped in. "I'm glad we're making new friends, but we came here for a reason, you know. The two of you can flirt later."
Neither of them blushed, as Harry might have done. Blaise shook his head with his eyes narrowed, a Look that might have phased anyone but Draco. Ginny sat back with a knowing smile, and she gestured that someone should begin speaking.
"Now that we've taken care of that distraction, why don't you continue, Hermione," said Draco. She looked at him strangely, though Harry could not say just what was strange, and began to speak.
"Ahem. Well, I know something about why we are here, but not everything. I know that you two are in the midst of Voldemort and his followers, but do not want any part in it. What I want to find out is exactly why you came to us."
Harry thought that was fair. Apparently, so did Blaise. "Hermione, I'm surprised. I would have thought you'd figured it out by now. However, I guess I can explain it. There are two major things, really. One is that we are both in too deep to pull ourselves out. We know all about you and how you've thwarted Voldemort numerous times, so we decided that it would be a good idea to team up."
"Why don't you just ask Dumbledore?" Ginny piped up. "He's been fighting the forces of darkness much longer than we have."
"If it comes to that, we will," Blaise responded, looking directly at her, "but that would be even more suspicious than meeting with you. We don't need adults yet. Besides, think about it. A Gryffindor and Slytherin alliance - and we're willing to add Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff to that as well. The Slytherins have been separated from the school as the Bad House for too long. That stereotype could be dissolved if we make friends with the right people."
"There are many more Slytherins than just you," Harry pointed out. "They're not changing."
"Ah, but that's where part two comes in," Draco said, a gleam in his eye that told Harry he had a good idea. "Not being part of the Slytherin hierarchy, you have no idea how influential Blaise and I are within our House. We could convince them, one by one if we have to, that joining Voldemort, supporting him in any way, is a bad idea."
Hermione snorted.
"You don't believe me?" Draco asked her. "Why don't we try it, then? You just wait, and see for yourself how many Slytherins have had a change of mind. We already know which ones support Voldemort and which ones don't. We know who to talk to so that those who have already been sucked in will not find out what we're doing until it's too late. Most importantly," he leaned forward and lowered his voice, "we know which students in the other Houses support Voldemort."
"In other Houses?" Ginny repeated. "That never crossed my mind. Gryffindors, as well?"
"A few," Draco answered. "You Gryffindors have too high a sense of honor to serve a Dark wizard, as a general rule. There are always exceptions, though. Pettigrew was a Gryffindor." Harry's jaw clenched at hearing the name. He had been doing so well at not reminding himself of Sirius. "We can search them out and bring them back to our side."
There was silence as this sank in. He felt like breaking it, but held back for some reason. At last, Hermione spoke. "There's no harm in trying, I suppose."
"Thank you for that vote of confidence," Draco said. She rolled her eyes at him.
"You'll see in the end, Hermione, that we were right," Blaise added. "Think about this. Draco and I have every reason to believe we will succeed. Hogwarts could finally be united. Our biggest threat is ourselves. If the younger generation sticks together, Voldemort can't win."
She was looking at him as though she had never seen him before. Ginny's expression was impressed and intrigued. Blaise looked at her and smiled, running his hand through his hair. Harry looked back to Hermione, who seemed to have gone catatonic.
"Harry?" He whipped around at the sound of his name. Draco was calling him. "You haven't said much. That's unusual."
"I think you're right," he said simply. "If we want to keep Voldemort from gaining any more supporters, and possibly cause him to lose some, you two are the best for the job. They're more liable to listen to you, because you are not authority figures, but well-known students. Psychologically, it makes sense that it would work." The others were all looking at him, surprised. He shrugged. "I took refuge in the library this summer when I was with the Dursleys."
"One yes vote," Draco said. "Added to the two of ours." He gestured to include Blaise and himself. "Ginny?"
"I can't see any reason not to." She cocked her head to one side. "That doesn't mean that I completely trust you yet, though."
Draco nodded, then turned an intense gaze on Hermione. "Normally, I would want more time to think about it," she began. "I know that the two of you mean what you say, but I have to consider how dangerous it is to get involved in this. No one can really know what is at stake for anyone else."
"Why don't we get that out in the open, then?" Draco suggested. "For me, it's freedom. The freedom to control my own life and to live it. Because believe me, I will die if I can't get out."
Harry's heart missed a beat, and he wondered why. He would never have expected Draco to be so blunt about anything. Now, this was twice since the beginning of school that he had said exactly what he meant when it was important. It compelled him to speak next. "My life is what is at stake," he said. "But not only mine. The lives of my friends and anyone who helps me are endangered because of Voldemort. Whatever means can stop him, I'm willing."
"Harry, none of those deaths were your - "
" - fault," he finished for Hermione. "I've heard it a million times, and I'm still not convinced." She pursed her lips.
Ginny turned and looked at them all. "The world I love." She had said it in simple words, as she tended to do.
"If I get stuck with the job of a Death Eater, I'll never have the chance to do anything with my life," Blaise said. "My father thinks he's done something. He always acts as though he were the most important man in the world. All he's brought to the world are a few murders and an unhappy family. I want the opportunity to be good." If Harry had expected anything from Blaise, it was nothing like that. Slytherins were better at keeping secrets and inventing pretenses than he had ever given them credit for.
At last, Hermione's turn had come. She looked around at them all, and Harry was confused by the look he read on her face. She had much to say, he knew. She was simply hesitating to say it. Of all the people Harry had met, she had always been the first to speak her mind. Now, when he thought she was more solid in her convictions than ever, she balked.
Though she did not say anything at first, she might have in time if Draco had not blurted out, "Come on, Hermione, tell us what you're fighting for. Your precious books and perfect grades? Your brand new stylish appearance? What is it that is most important to you?"
Hermione gave him a hard look. Harry was almost afraid that she would take drastic action, even when it was unlike her to do so. She had already surprised him countless times over the past two months. At last, she stood quietly, gathered her things, and walked deliberately toward the door. "Fine. I will give a chance to this alliance you've described." She then left without another word.
"Bloody hell, Draco, what did you do that for?" Blaise asked as soon as Hermione was gone. Draco, who had been looking at the door, leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.
"I don't know. But at least we got her to agree."
"If you two are fighting all the time, this is not going to work," Harry admonished.
"You think so?" Draco retorted, sarcasm apparent in his voice. He sighed. "I'll talk to her tomorrow, will that satisfy you?"
"I'm not trying to make you angry," said Harry defensively.
"I know that. Look, I'm going to go." He left then, as good as his word, leaving Harry with Blaise and Ginny, who looked like they wanted to be alone for a while. He followed the lead of Hermione and Draco, and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. However, it took him hours to get to sleep that night as he pondered what had transpired between the five of them. It did not help that Ron was giving him the cold shoulder.
Exasperated, he turned over and nestled into his pillow.
Ginny was amazed that all it took to become completely confused was an excuse to go to the library and one of Fred and George's Extendable Ears TM. The day after their meeting which resulted in an alliance with the Slytherins, she was peering through the stacks at Hermione with an Ear to listen in. At first it was incredibly boring. Hermione was alone, and the most Ginny heard was a rustling of pages. She resisted the urge to go talk to her friend in favor of finding out what was happening.
Her impatient waiting was rewarded when Draco approached. "Hermione," he said softly. She did not look up at first, but kept reading. A moment passed before Draco seemed to decide that she had not heard him. "Hermione." This time it was a little louder.
Hermione raised her head briefly before returning to her book. "I'm busy," she told him curtly. Ignoring this, Draco sat down across the table from her and looked directly at her.
"I need to talk to you."
She slammed her book shut to make her annoyance clear. Ginny jumped slightly. "Make it quick, then. I'm busy." Draco appeared to be regarding her carefully with a Gaze. It was hard to tell with his back facing Ginny, but it was very likely. A minute passed, then Hermione opened the book again and began to read, paying no attention to Draco.
"I apologize for what I said yesterday, just before you left the room. It was rude of me to say those things," said Draco.
"Thank you," Hermione said quietly, looking quite engrossed in reading.
Ginny could imagine Draco's eyes flash at having a Malfoy apology discarded so carelessly. "Even if they are true," he added.
Hermione glared at him. "You know, every time I start to think you aren't that bad, you turn around and say something that makes me hate you again. Starting with what happened this summer."
This caught Ginny by surprise. As far as she knew, Hermione and Draco only interacted at school, and even then only when absolutely necessary. She doubted Harry and Ron knew anything about Hermione meeting with anyone in the summer.
She suddenly remembered trying to pry Hermione's secret out of her a few months ago. Could Draco Malfoy possibly be involved in the one thing Hermione would not tell her closest friends? It was beyond Ginny's imagination, but not beyond thinkable.
"When are you going to let that go, Hermione?" Draco asked with a sigh.
Hermione looked at him with disbelief. "Do you even know what you just said?"
"Sod it all, how important was that to you, really? Did you think that we would continue forever?"
"No, I just wish you could have been a bit nicer is all. If you weren't such a huge prat, we could probably be friends. I've known for a long time that you don't care about bloodlines." Ginny wondered what Hermione considered to be a long time.
"I'm not a prat," Draco defended indignantly.
"No? Why did you say those things, then?"
"To aggravate you."
Hermione gave him a pointed look.
"Well, okay, maybe I do act rashly on occasion."
"On occasion! Oh, that's a laugh. I'm surprised they don't make a cream for people as rash as you."
"That is disgusting," Draco said, voicing Ginny's sentiment. "Hermione, do you know why I am that way? Well, I'll tell you then. It's because you won't talk to me."
Hermione shook her head. "Of course I will."
"No, you won't! Ever since school started, you've been utterly cold."
"What do you expect, Draco? That you can drop me and still have me fawning all over you like that chit Pansy?"
"She's not a chit, she's just hopeful," Draco responded. "And no, I do not expect anything of the sort from you, someone with so much dignity to their name." Hermione looked about to slap him. "Why don't you just tell me, Hermione, and I'll go away. I promise."
Silence reigned as Hermione kept her jaw clenched. Ginny could almost feel Draco smirking, and immediately Hermione's tongue was loosened. "The whole reason I decided to change was so people would not judge me that way. I'm tired of being known as a bookworm and teacher's pet. I want people to want to know me. But I guess I'm just the same old Hermione."
"But you're the same old Hermione with much better hair and a more fashionable wardrobe," Draco pointed out, and Ginny could not help but smile. When he next spoke, his voice was lower. "That's beside the point, though. Whoever said that being the same old Hermione was such a bad thing?"
She looked up, her eyes filled with some emotion Ginny could not place. "It wasn't good enough for Draco Malfoy."
She thought Draco was looking down at the table; his head had lowered a few inches. "There is more to it, Hermione. Things beneath the surface that you would never guess."
"Then tell me," she whispered.
"No. I understand you, I really do. But I can't tell you. It's just… just… did you hear that?" He turned in his seat.
Ginny covered her mouth. She realized that she had just shifted some books on the shelf to get a better view. She had not thought it would be loud enough for them to hear. Quickly, she pulled the Extendable Ear toward her, and made a break for it. Neither of them followed her from the library.
"If they had," she muttered to herself. "I might have gotten some answers." Now she knew part of what was going on with Hermione. It was almost worse than knowing nothing at all. She had a feeling that telling anyone about what had transpired between them was a bad idea - that included talking to Hermione.
Ginny's mood brightened considerably when she remembered that she was meeting Blaise in one of the empty classrooms in an hour.
…TBC…
Who can guess who Blaise is paired with? No one? …wow, you people are slower than I thought. Just kidding! I'm sure you all know by now. The Very Obvious Clues are in this chapter. Now I would like it very very much if you would review. In the next chapter, the Halloween Ball occurs. I would like to hear your ideas for the ball, and I might use some of the really good ones.
