A/N: Sorry this update has been so long in coming. I appreciate your patience. Thanks again for all the reviews and comments. And a "Love you!" goes out to Jocelyn for editing the chapter.

Chapter Sixteen

"Stupefy!"

Something slammed into the ground next to her, and Hermione flung herself away with a scream. Scrambling to her feet, she cried out and almost fell as pain shot through her leg.

"Hermione!" That voice…and the arms that reached out to steady her were haven, and she reacted instinctively, clinging to the black-clad figure, shaking uncontrollably.

"Hermione! Where are you?"

"Hermione!"

The frantic voices hunting her were still some way off. Disengaging her gently, Snape drew her deeper into the woods, out of sight of the castle. He spoke urgently.

"Listen to me, Hermione. Tell them that you were able to fight off Lucius, that he heard their voices and Apparated out."

"My wand…it's out there in the field somewhere."

"Accio Hermione's wand!" He caught it easily as it sailed towards them through the trees, and handed it to her.

"How did you know that Lucius would be here?" Her speech was slightly slurred, and he looked at her face with concern.

"I've been shadowing Lucius for most of the day. He's desperate; I expected him to make an attempt to get Draco." His hand gently touched the bruised skin on her face, and his jaw tightened. "I arrived too late to keep him from hurting you."

Hermione glanced at the unconscious figure on the ground and shivered. "He'll know it was you, and he'll give you away. He won't hesitate to betray you."

"Where are you? Hermione!"

"He never saw me. I will convince him that he was struck down by one of your defenders, and that I was able to Apparate out with him before he could be captured."

They could see figures through the trees now, still some distance away. Hermione clung to his arm. "Please…please say you'll be careful."

He regarded her gravely. "I will. Now go…run!" He moved over to where Lucius lay and in another moment, both men were gone.

Stumbling awkwardly from the pain in her leg, Hermione fled from the woods in the direction of the approaching figures. Out ahead of the others, Harry reached her first. He took one look at her face and yelled, "Ron! Ginny. She's hurt!"

"I…I'm okay, Harry." Her attempt to reassure him was hampered by fact that she couldn't stop shaking, her words slurred from the swelling on her face.

"Bloody hell!" Ron's exclamation was drowned out by Ginny's cry of horror. She threw her arms around Hermione and burst into tears.

Harry and Ron were scanning the area, wands out. "Let's get her to Madam Pomfrey," Harry directed.

"No," Hermione insisted. "I need to talk to the Headmistress now, and warn her. It was Lucius Malfoy. He may still be here on the grounds somewhere."

"Malfoy!" Ginny had her wand out now, and she was waving at Luna, Neville, and Susan. "Get back inside! Keep your wands out and ready!"

The three of them stopped in their tracks, drawing their wands, and slowly backing towards the building. Ron and Harry supported Hermione between them, and Ginny followed behind, all of them on the alert for another attack. It seemed to take an age to reach the doors, with Hermione limping on her bad leg, but once inside, Ron swung her up into his arms and the entire group rushed towards the Headmistress's office.

The Headmistress was conferring with Lupin and Moody, and they came to their feet as the door opened and the students rushed in. Everyone was shouting at once, until Moody's bellow arrested them. "Shut your mouths! And you," he pointed his wand at Hermione, "start explaining!"

"I went outside…just ahead of the others and," Hermione was interrupted by Remus Lupin.

"After being told this morning that no one was to go alone? Hermione, what the bloody hell were you thinking!"

The Headmistress joined him in letting her displeasure be known. "Really, Miss Granger. An inexcusable lack of judgment on your part!"

"Lupin! Minerva! Could we get back to the business at hand?" An irritated Moody caught their attention. "What happened, girl?"

"I was out in the field where the henge appeared for the ritual, and Lucius Malfoy grabbed me."

"And…?" Moody was sounding more irritated by the minute.

"And I kicked and screamed, and he tried to drag me into the trees. I dug my nails into his wand hand and he dropped his wand. I kept fighting and he couldn't get to it, and then when he heard the others coming, he Apparated out."

Moody had a strange look on his face…stranger than usual, anyway. He walked over to her and fixed both his eyes on her face. "Do you really expect us to believe that Lucius Malfoy could lose a fight with a schoolgirl? That he'd give up and leave without taking you with him?"

"He did…he just stopped and he left." Hermione felt panic gripping her as she sought to make them believe her. "He was acting wild…yelling the entire time about how he'd exchange me for his son. He's mad, I'm telling you!"

Moody swung around to look at the rest of the group. "Did you see any of this?"

They shook their heads. Harry spoke up. "We could hear her screaming and crying, but we couldn't see her. Then she came running out of the woods." He glared at Moody. "You can see that she's been beaten."

The Headmistress gestured towards the hearth. "Mr. Potter, please accompany her to the Hospital Wing and have Madam Pomfrey attend to her injuries." She turned and Hermione quailed inside at the expression on her face. "When she has finished with you, you will return to the dormitory and you will stay there. Since we cannot trust you to act responsibly, we have no choice but to insist that you have someone with you at all times."

Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but the Headmistress continued. "Not only did you place yourself in peril, but the others who came looking for you as well. Not to mention the horrendous ramifications to the Order had you been taken. I suggest that you ponder these things." The stern look on her face was tinged with acute disappointment. "I would not have expected such carelessness from you, Miss Granger. You may go."

Hermione limped over to the Floo, supported by Harry. Behind her, she heard Moody growl, "We'd best get some Order support in here to search the grounds tonight."

As she reached for the Floo powder, she heard a loud bang and gasps of alarm from some of the others. Turning quickly, she saw that Remus Lupin had slammed his fist onto the desk and that he was watching her leave. As quickly as she could, she dropped the powder and spun away.

Madam Pomfrey made a quick and thorough job of cleaning up Hermione's injuries. In a very short time, with her ears still ringing from the angry lecture delivered by the exasperated mediwitch, she was able to leave with Harry. He was silent, and Hermione was content not to have to discuss what had happened. She'd started to turn towards the head girl's quarters when Harry stopped her.

"Your things have been moved into the dorm with the other girls. You're no longer allowed to be alone, remember?"

"Oh, Harry," Hermione swallowed hard, trying not to cry. "I didn't mean to…to make such an awful mistake. I just wasn't thinking."

"I know," he assured her. "You'd think we were still students here, the way that they're all acting."

"No, it's not that. I mean, I think I understand. They've taken on the responsibility of protecting us and they expect us to cooperate. Like they said, our actions affect the whole Order. I just didn't think of it that way."

They'd come to Gryffindor tower and were approaching the fat lady's portrait when Harry caught her arm and stopped her. He looked at her for a moment, as if trying to make up his mind about something.

"What is it?

"Tell me the truth, Hermione. What did happen out there?" The shock must have shown on her face, for Harry looked immediately contrite. "I believe you about Malfoy attacking you and all that, but there's something else. Something you're not telling us."

Hermione shook her head. "There's nothing else…I swear. I've told you exactly what happened. I…I know it sounds bizarre, but he did leave me there."

She stepped forward and gave the password and walked ahead of him into the common room. The others were gathered there, watching her as she came in. For a moment no one spoke. And suddenly, it was all too much. The tears came, and she fled past them up the stairs and into the girls' dorm. It was easy to spot her bed with Crookshanks curled up on it. She hurled herself onto the bed, buried her head in the pillow, and cried.

It seemed quite a long time later when she finally ran out of tears. Lying on the bed, stroking her cat, Hermione stared out the window. Figures could be seen moving around at the edge of the woods, no doubt Order members securing Hogwarts grounds. She sighed and rolled onto her back, looking up at the ceiling and wondering what she was going to do next. Over and over, she saw the disappointment in her favorite teacher's eyes, the fury in Remus's face. She'd never thought to see his anger directed at her. She sighed, and Crookshanks got up and stretched out on the pillow next to her, purring loudly as if to assure her of his continued devotion.

"Hermione?" Ginny had come in so quietly that she hadn't even been aware of it. "It's time to go down to dinner."

"No thanks, Gin. I don't really feel like eating tonight."

She could hear Ginny descending the stairs. The idea of going to the Great Hall and facing everyone around the table, everyone who she'd disappointed was unbearable. Footsteps sounded on the stairs again, and Hermione turned toward the door, sure that whoever was entering the room was going to make an attempt to persuade her to come out.

It was Ginny again. She gave a slight smile, walked over to her bed, picked up a book and sat down.

"Ginny? Aren't you going to eat?"

"The others will bring me something back. Right now, I have to stay here with you."

Of course…she wasn't to be alone. It seemed that was going to be carried out to the letter. "I feel like a prisoner."

"You're not. It's for all of our protection. None of us is going anywhere alone, especially after what happened to you today. If Malfoy wants to trade someone for Draco, why not any of us…Harry's best friends or his girlfriend?"

"All right. I can see the reasoning behind this, but it's going to be awkward. I mean, how am I going to go see Draco?"

"Two of us will have to Floo there with you, leave you there with Draco, and Floo back. Then we'll have to Floo back to get you when you're ready to leave."

Hermione looked skeptical. "I don't see Harry complying with any of this when he decides he's ready to do something."

"I can't quite see that either. So Ron is planning on sticking with him wherever he goes."

"When they get back, I want to go see Draco. I need to tell him what happened with his father."

Ginny closed the book and flopped down on her stomach, looking at Hermione over her folded arms. "I figured you'd want to see him, but he already knows about it. They've been interrogating him to find out if he knew what his father was trying to do."

"Of course he didn't know!" She was out of bed and pacing. "How is that going to make him feel? It…he'll think no one trusts him."

"No one does." Ginny stated it as a matter of fact. "And no one will, knowing that he was involved in the attack on the Astronomy tower and involved in Dumbledore's death."

Voices could be heard in the common room. Luna stuck her head in the doorway. "We've brought food for the two of you." She gave Hermione a vague smile. "Don't worry. Everyone is going to get over it."

"C'mon, let's go eat." Ginny smiled as she climbed out of the bed. "Then we'll set up your trip to see Draco."

Hermione hesitated for just a moment, then nodded, and followed the girls out of the room.

Draco raised an eyebrow and smirked at Harry. "Okay, you've delivered her safe and sound. Now there's two of us together here, and we don't need you."

Harry and Ginny had Flooed through first, followed by Hermione. When she arrived in Draco's quarters, he'd come to her immediately, shoving Harry aside and putting his arms around her.

"Are you okay?"

She'd nodded, and Draco turned to face off Harry. The two of them glared at each other.

"I'd like to keep her safe, Malfoy, and I don't think leaving her alone with you is the way to do it."

"Harry…please." Hermione gestured towards the hearth.

"We'll come back for you when you're ready. Just Floo us in the common room." Ginny tugged at Harry's arm, and with one last glare at Draco, he turned and followed her. A few moments and a couple of flares of bright green flame, and Hermione and Draco were alone.

He didn't let go of her right away, as she'd expected. Keeping his arm around her, he led her over to the divan. Once she was seated, he started to speak, then stopped, took a deep breath, and tried again.

"I…my father…I mean, I'm sorry he hurt you." His eyes were full of misery.

"It wasn't your fault. You're not responsible for your father's actions."

"Yeah, right…try telling that to Potter and Weasley or anyone in the Order." He snorted. "See how far that gets you. As soon as they knew who'd attacked you, they were right here. What did I know…? How is my father contacting me…? I guess it never occurred to them that I'm in as much danger from my father as the rest of you."

"Listen to me. I don't think your father wants to hurt you. When he grabbed me, when I was fighting him, he kept ranting that he was going to exchange me for your life. Over and over, the same thing…that he wanted Voldemort to spare you." She watched the conflicting emotions that played across Draco's face: disbelief, anger, grief. Reaching over and taking his hand, she said softly, "I'm sure he really cares about you. I know Professor Snape thinks so too."

He looked at her in surprise. "When did you discuss this with Snape?"

"I saw him after the attack on Azkaban. He was there when your father returned to the Dark Lord, and was told about your mother. He said that your father was devastated, that he asked Voldemort to kill him."

"I wish he had."

"Do you really feel that way? He's your father."

"And he's the reason I'm holed up here, and the reason my mother is dead." Draco pulled his hand away. "There's nothing he can do that can ever make up for that."

There was no response she could make to that. A long silence stretched between them and Hermione began to think about calling for her escort and leaving. He spoke up suddenly, startling her.

"Snape. How are you going to meet him now with people following you all over the castle?"

She hadn't considered that yet. "I don't know. Unless…" A thought struck her, and she said carefully, "Draco…you're in contact with him, too, aren't you?"

He smirked. "Just figuring that out? I don't know if I should give you any details. How do I know I can trust you?"

She sighed. "Please don't play games. You know that I'd never put him in jeopardy…never!"

"Okay, but as long as we're going to be totally honest here…you care for him, don't you?"

She sputtered and started to protest, and Draco folded his arms and leaned back. "Unh-uh, Granger…you get nothing further from me until you answer the question. Come on," he teased, "you know I'm in no position to tell anyone."

She knew she was blushing, and hated it. Draco was smirking at her, but there was something else in his face as well. Something that made her really want to confide in him. "Yes," she said, before she could change her mind.

He sat straight up. "You mean, you and Snape…"

"No, of course not. I imagine he doesn't think of me as anything more than an annoying Gryffindor, one that he's forced to work with. But…" her voice dropped to a whisper, "I wish he did."

"Hell," Draco flopped back in the seat again. "Now I'll never get that snog."

"Oh honestly!" Hermione laughed and the tension in the room cleared. "So tell me how you contact him?

"I don't. He just shows up here." From the look on his face, they'd both had the same idea at the same time. "And that's how you'll meet with him. After your escort leaves, you can meet with him in the other room and I'll guard the Floo. It could work, Granger."

"Hermione."

She peered around the pile of books in front of her and smiled at Neville. "I never knew there were so many references to Helga Hufflepuff in the library. Even a copy of her diary is available. I have enough to keep me busy researching for several days."

"Why Hufflepuff?" he asked.

"The cup…it's the next Horcrux we're looking for." At Neville's puzzled look, she explained patiently. "The first one was the diary that Harry destroyed in the Chamber of Secrets. Number two was the ring of Salazar Slytherin. Dumbledore took care of that one. Number three was the locket. That's gone now…along with Grimmauld Place. The fourth one was the seal of Ravenclaw. And the fifth one, we believe to be the cup of Helga Hufflepuff, described as a gold cup with two ornate handles and an engraved badger."

"If you already know that, then what are you searching for?"

"Something that would give us a clue as to its whereabouts." She sighed. "It's a long shot, really. But it's better than sitting around doing nothing."

"Maybe Susan and I could search the Hufflepuff common room and see if there's anything there that might give us a clue."

"Great idea." She smiled. "You and Susan seem to be getting along well."

"Uh, yeah…" Neville blushed. "She's easy to talk to."

As Neville walked away, Hermione picked up the book and began to read again. Susan was still grieving for her parents. Sometimes in the dorm at night, she could hear her crying quietly. But Neville's attentions seemed to please her, and she was opening up a little bit. A nice pair – Susan and Neville.

"Um, Hermione?"

She looked up to see Neville standing there again, and realized that he'd never told her why he'd interrupted her the first time.

"I forgot…Professor Lupin wants to see you, and I said I'd escort you down to his quarters."

"Oh…okay." Setting the book aside, Hermione rose and wasn't at all surprised to feel her heart settle firmly in the pit of her stomach. She'd been dreading having to talk to Remus since the attack two days ago. Remus never got angry…at least, until then she'd never seen him lose his temper. Harry had mentioned being chewed out by Remus after the incident at Grimmauld Place, but she'd never considered until now what it would be like being on the receiving end of his anger.

The walk took less time than she'd have liked, and it seemed that the door to Remus's quarters was staring her in the face before she was ready. Knocking hesitantly, she was immensely relieved when Tonks swung the door open, a grin on her face and her hair standing up in blonde spikes.

"Wotcher, you two? Come on in."

They followed her inside where Remus was sitting in his favorite chair. He looked up and smiled at them, and she felt immeasurably better. He appeared to be in too good a mood to be set to yell at her.

Neville took a seat on the sofa and Hermione sat next to her. Tonks settled herself on the floor, leaning against Remus's chair, and he dropped his hand down and ran his fingers over her hair. She winked at the two of them and squinted up her eyes and the strands he was touching began to turn blue. They both laughed and he caught on to what she was doing. Grinning, he began to pull at various strands and her hair shortly became a montage of blue and yellow. As Hermione and Neville watched with amusement, a picture began to form.

"Oh how clever…it's a butterfly!"

Tonks conjured a mirror and examined her hair with a critical eye. "Not bad, Lupin. You're getting positively artistic."

With that, she jumped to her feet. "Neville, join me in the study, wont'cha? Remus would like to have a word with Hermione."

He rose and followed her into the other room, and Hermione felt her heart return to that spot in her stomach. He was regarding her with a very serious expression. Wanting to forestall any confrontation, she spoke first.

"Remus, I'm sorry about what happened. I want you to know that I do understand how serious this is. I know I acted stupidly and caused a major problem for everyone, and I'm so, so sorry." She kept her gaze firmly on her feet.

"Actually, I am the one who wanted to apologize to you."

That brought her eyes up to his. "Why?"

He was looking at her with eyes that she recognized – open and honest and always a little troubled. "I seldom lose my temper. In fact, I'm very careful not to, but sometimes it gets away from me."

She smiled. "I know. Harry's told me."

He grinned ruefully. "Yes, Harry has been on the receiving end of it a couple of times."

"It was my fault," she said. "You did tell us not to go out alone."

"I did," he agreed. "But that's not what angered me. It was the fact that it happened so fast, that in that short a time we could have lost you."

"Yes, I know. The Order…"

"Hang the Order," he interrupted. "I'm talking about how it would have affected me." She looked at him in surprise, and he continued. "Harry, Ron, you, the others…you've become my family and the thought of something happening to any one of you preys on my mind."

She nodded. "Just like we worry about each other and about you. I guess we all feel like we're a family now, and if something happened…it's terrifying to think about."

Remus smiled. "Then try not to think about it. Just remember to be very careful. You mean a lot to more people than you realize."

Her lashes were wet. "Thank you, Remus," she said softly.

As they entered the common room, Ginny was conversing with someone in the fireplace. "It's for you, Hermione."

Draco's face was looking out at her. "How about joining me here? We could have dinner together." He winked.

"Sounds great. I'll be right there." Arrangements were quickly made, and Ginny and Neville agreed to escort her to Draco's quarters. Her heart pounding, Hermione grabbed a handful of Floo powder and stepped forward, knowing that it wouldn't be Draco alone waiting for her.

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