The following day, Hermione was teaching a class of first years basic defensive spells when the door opened. Ignoring the interruption, she finished her lecture on disarming spells before acknowledging the person who had entered her classroom.
In truth, Draco had barely interrupted. He had slipped into a seat in the back row and was staring at the vision before him. He had never thought of Hermione as a woman before. Not until that night in the corridor in the dungeons. Not until he had tasted the sweetness of her kiss. Not until he had caressed her skin, under her nightclothes, along her waist and onto her hip.
He shook himself mentally. He could NOT think about Granger this way. This whole mission was not about Granger. It was about getting revenge on the wizard that had murdered his parents and left him alone in the world.
The bell rang, awakening him from his reverie. All of the first-years gathered their books and exited the classroom. As they passed him, their eyes widened and their bodies shrunk from him. Their small hands hid their whispered voices. He couldn't even distinguish their words, but he knew already what they said.
He was a Death Eater, a Slytherin, an orphan. He knew all about what they said. He waited until the last one had left before he stood and strolled up to Hermione's desk.
Before he could say a word, she rushed in with, "What took place last night should never have happened. I'm sorry that it did and I think it needs to be made clear that it should never happen again."
She made no sense when she was nervous. And Draco knew that she was extremely nervous. He smiled. It tickled him that he had such an influence over her.
"I just came to let you know that I would be in Hogsmeade this weekend. At the Hog's Head. Around one o'clock, I was thinking. I didn't know if you wanted to drop by. We could discuss a few things."
She took a deep breath, and the next sentence seemed forced. "Should I invite Harry and Ron?"
Draco shook his head. "No, not yet. You don't trust me. Why should they trust me?" He leaned in closer to her and lowered his voice. "No, it will be just you and me."
Her eyes narrowed at him shrewdly. "You're just trying to intimidate me."
His laugh reverberated around the empty room. "You're right. And it's working."
"Don't be a creep, Malfoy. If you want my help, you need to answer a few questions." She busied herself by stacking several parchments on top of each other. "Like, I want to know why..."
Draco glanced surreptitiously around the room. "Don't say anything now. There's ears all over the place. I'll answer all your questions this weekend." He turned around and headed for the door.
"Three Broomsticks. I'll meet you at the Three Broomsticks at two o'clock." The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them.
Malfoy paused, but didn't turn around. "Three Broomsticks. Two o'clock." And then he continued walking right out the door.
Hermione glanced at her watch. It was five minutes until two on Saturday afternoon. She sat in a back corner of the Three Broomsticks, almost hidden completely from the view of her former classmates. She hoped that Ron and Harry did not see her. She knew that they would probably spend a good portion of the afternoon at the Three Broomsticks, drinking butterbeer and flirting with the Ravenclaw girls that they currently had crushes on.
As much as she feared discovery, she knew that she was smart to have changed the meeting place. As Sirius had once said, it was better to conduct business of this sort out in the open in a busy place than in a deserted bar where one could be overheard.
The door opened and a cold rush of air swept through the inn. Draco, his face flushed from the cold and his hair tousled, entered the place as if he owned it. He waved a hello to some fellow Slytherins who were sitting at a window table. He walked over to a group of fifth years and cracked a few jokes on the biggest guy at the table. Draco was popular among his own set, Hermione observed.
After grabbing a butterbeer from Madam Rosmerta at the bar, he headed towards the restrooms in the back of the building, catching Hermione's eye before he did so. Hermione waited. He would come back out and slide into the seat across from her. She just knew he would.
Five minutes later, they were both hidden from view. Bent low over the table, their heads were inches apart as the whispered to each other. Laughter and chatter filled the inn. Hermione did not think it possible to overhear them above the noise.
"All right," said Hermione. "I want to know why. Why are you asking for my help? And Ron and Harry's? You hate us. You despise us. What is going on?"
Draco shrugged carelessly. "Everyone knows about the D.A., Hermione. Everyone knows that you three headed it up. It still exists, even though The Toad turned into a basketcase after fifth year."
Hermione sat back in shock. "How...how did you know about the D.A.? How did you find out?"
Draco leaned towards her, his hand slipping around the butterbeer that he held in front of him. "Hermione, I thought you were smarter than this. Remember, I've known how to make that invisibility potion since fifth year."
Hermione's jaw dropped. "You... you've been at the D.A.'s meetings? In the Room of Requirement?"
Draco didn't answer. He just sat there, a smug expression spread across his face, and took a swig of his drink.
Hermione visibly shook herself. "Okay, forget about the D.A. Answer my question. Why my help?"
Draco's expression suddenly became very serious. "Because I know that you and Potter and Weasley are possibly the most experienced students in this school when it comes to defending yourselves and others against the Dark Lord. The others are quite competent as well. I'm even surprised at how good Longbottom's become. I never knew he had it in him." He paused. "And you are in a position of power now. You were right that first night. You are a teacher, and I'm merely a student. You are in a place to actually influence somebody outside Hogwarts. I'm not right now."
"So, what do you want us to do? And how do I know that you really have changed sides?" Though Hermione remained wary of him, she was curious to know what he had planned.
"All I want you to do is cultivate conversation in the DADA classroom," he said.
"That's it?" she asked.
He nodded. "It's simple. The majority of seventh year Slytherins are taking DADA because it's an easy grade on the NEWTs. We know all of the stuff that you are teaching us about the Dark Side. We've been fed on it growing up. We've lived it. I have shared meals with Death Eaters since the time I was born, and most of the time they didn't even realize that I was there. I was just a little kid. They took very little notice of me."
Hermione slumped in her chair, her face twisted into a thoughtful expression. "So I basically get the Slytherins to talk. And they're going to let things out that they don't even realize that they know." Draco started to nod, a grin spreading over his face. Realization dawned on Hermione. "They won't shun you because you aren't going to be telling me exactly what you know. You will just be encouraging everyone else to spill their guts." She thought for a moment. "It's not a bad idea."
Hermione took a sip of her butterbeer before saying, "Is there anyone who I should pinpoint? Especially encourage?"
Draco seemed to be fighting a battle within himself. Finally, he answered her. "Crabbe and Goyle. They know tons of stuff but they're not smart enough to know when not to speak. Get Pansy riled up, and she'll spew her guts to you. Leave Millicent Bulstrode alone. She'll come out on her own eventually."
Hermione considered this. "Okay. Say that I agree to do this. What happens from there? Who do we tell? How do we tell them? Dumbledore?"
Draco shook his head. "We won't have to tell anyone. There's a portrait in your classroom. Haven't you noticed it?"
Hermione tilted her head, confusion writ on her face. Draco continued, "It's of an old Headmaster. A Gryffindor Headmaster by the name of Sigmund Guilford. He'll run to Dumbledore. I'm sure of it." He glanced around, his eyes darting to the far corners of the room. "I've got to run now. It'll be really suspicious if we continue talking much longer. I'm telling them that I had to ask about that DADA assignment that you gave us on Friday." The cocky expression had returned to his face. "And it helps that they think I'm trying to shag you."
A small gasp escaped Hermione's lips. Draco chucked her lightly under the chin before spinning around and sliding off to his friends on the other side of the room.
Hermione stood, slamming the books that she had with her on top of each other. With a little growl, she swept them off of the table and hurried out of the inn. Draco Malfoy was really getting under her skin lately.
