Chapter 18 - Underwater

By the the next morning however, Draco was no closer to coming up with a "fail-safe" for the plan than he had been before. Part of the reason for this was because he was utterly confident that the plan would in fact work, and that even if it didn't and the merpeople wouldn't accept a trade, they still didn't have any reason to hurt him. After all, from everything he could recall reading about them, they weren't said to be violent, and since they were at least intelligent beings, he could reason with them rather than attack them if need be. Part of him reasoned that Hermione was just thinking of the worst-case scenario, and that part of this must stem from her own experiences of being in danger over and over again in the past. That being said, she had no right to lecture him on putting himself at risk—though Draco didn't think of it as a "lecture" and hadn't minded it at all—and so all Draco managed to do was convince himself more and more not to take her worries seriously by the morning. He had done the research, put in the time and effort and work, and considered all reasonable aspects of what could happen; he was as prepared as he was ever going to be and had to take this chance while he still had the determination for it.

And, once it was all over and he emerged from the water triumphant with the sheath in-hand, he'd summon up a patronus and invite Hermione back to his lakehouse to tell her about it in detail. This was one time when he truly and fully intended to have the upper hand, something to impress her with and prove...well, prove in a sense that he was just as impressive a wizard as she was a witch.

Clearly, the sense of competition that had been so instilled in him by his father had yet to fade completely; only this time, he was doing it more to impress Hermione rather than outdo her in magical skill.

Dressing in warm robes since it would still be bloody cold outside—nothing that a warming charm wouldn't fix but he'd wait until he was underwater for that—Draco thus proceeded up to the Room of Requirement, skipping out on breakfast so as to avoid cramps later on. The first thing he did once he arrived there was put on the translator ring and then stuff the gillyweed in his pocket, centering on the egg last.

Once out in the hallway, Draco focused his attention on both the levitation and invisibility charms, struggling a bit since he had to maintain both without his wand out. Much as he would have liked to run all the way down to the lake, Draco also forced himself to walk normally, as though he had nowhere important to go—after all, though very few would question him on where he was going, to see him rush anywhere would raise a lot of curiosity regarding his actions, and the last thing he needed was to risk anyone following him. Thankfully, the hallways were mostly deserted at this time of the morning when most students were in the Great Hall, so Draco had no trouble making it outside the castle unseen.

Out in the castle grounds, he nearly had a run-in with Hagrid, but thankfully the half-giant was headed the other way and didn't see Draco as he ducked around a corner. Draco thanked his lucky stars that Hagrid hadn't seen him, since, especially after that stunt at his hut the other time, he was sure to be bitter and suspicious of everything Draco did.

Picking his way carefully down to the lake, Draco paused just as he came across the invisible barrier around the school, something that every witch and wizard could feel just as easily as if it were a physical wall. Placed there at the start of the year, the barrier didn't keep anyone from crossing in or out of it, but rather simply sent out a signal to alert those inside that someone was coming on or going off the Hogwarts grounds.

Draco hesitated, in the process losing some of his focus on the invisibility charm on the egg—the harder of the two, but he wouldn't need it now anyway—and contemplated whether it would be safe or not to cross. As far as he knew, there were likely no official reprocutions for him of all people to go past the barrier, but there was a reason why he'd gone out via the Room of Requirement and Vanishing Cabinets until now instead of just walking out and then apparating beyond the barrier. After all, if what he was doing was questionable, than any professors and especially the Carrows were the last people that Draco wanted to alert to his actions.

Still though, the first person who would be informed of a barrier breach would be Severus, in which case he'd overlook this, Draco thought. And even if not, since Severus was in on this thing with the list as well and probably recognized the amount of effort and difficulty involved, he could hardly lecture Draco about it or reprimand him for it.

Worry about that later! Convincing himself thus and recognizing that no matter what he wasn't going to head back now, Draco took the first step across the barrier, expecting to feel something and yet of course not even feeling so much as a buzz. The only difference in that one step was that now he could apparate freely anywhere, whereas apparation was impossible within the barrier without being detected—and possibly hexed for the attempt unless one was a professor or the headmaster.

Striding forward in long steps, the faster to get this over with, Draco thus made his way down to the lake.

Ever since the patronus exchange last night with Draco, Hermione had been worried. To have him contact her a week after they'd last met had been a happy comfort, and had made her excited even. But then, once Draco actually spoke about what he had in mind, those brief positive feelings had quickly shifted to being negative ones, namely: worry, wariness, and, most of all, complete hopelessness in her own position, as Hermione recognized that there was truly nothing she could do at that moment to help.

In a sense, she couldn't blame Draco for what she considered to be foolhardy haste, as she herself was guilty of the same actions, especially recently when she'd gone to Diagon Alley. After all, hadn't Harry and Ron been against her for the same reasons that she felt herself against Draco's plan now, even though all the while she'd known that she had it handled? Perhaps it was the same for Draco now and his plan was better prepared than she thought. Their patronus messages had been brief and there were still many details that she might not have been told about...

Apart from which, it's not really your business, is it, Hermione? she reminded herself. For all that you're quick to act so high-and-mighty about it, you have absolutely no authority over Draco's actions. His mission with the list is just as important to him as your mission is with Harry, and if the situations were reversed, would you take his meddling seriously?

And though it stung her a bit to recognize that Draco might consider her worry to be meddling, Hermione couldn't shake the feeling that it was nevertheless justified. Part of this of course stemmed from the fact that little was known about merpeople—even in fourth year and her research of them, she hadn't come up with many results—and another part was just because...

Well, because she was growing to care for Draco as a friend and it had never been okay with her for her friends to put themselves at risk, much less see them hurt. And if Draco got hurt it would affect her, no question about it.

A couple of minutes into her worry about breakfast, Draco's peacock wandered into her section of the tent, now a familiar enough sight to Hermione that she didn't feel a compulsion to take out her wand or even tense up. Nodding its head in greeting, the patronus relayed Draco's message to her, but unfortunately it was far from what Hermione wanted to hear—which ideally would have been that he give up this madness.

"I'm going into the lake now. I thought over what you said and, in the end, there's nothing I can change about it now. At this point, it may be my only chance to obtain goblin-made steel, and since there are no other leads I can follow, I've got to take it. There's a...time limit set on the list, though I don't know how long, but in any case it's better that I get everything done as soon as possible. I understand and...ahem, appreciate your concern, but I'm more capable than you'd like to think, Granger." She could practically see him smirking as he said that. "Just wait for my word for when I finish. I'll contact your first thing, alright? See you."

And then, all too soon for her liking, the patronus faded away, leaving Hermione alone and in no better a state than before. So then, it was clear: not only did Draco not have a fail-safe to his plan, but he didn't even think he needed one.

Oh, that...that—! But Hermione could no sooner think up an insult for him than for her Harry when he did something stupid and reckless. In a sense, this was eerily similar to how her bespectacled friend dove headfirst into whatever task he was set upon, not thinking of his own safety so much as wanting to get the task done. It was turning out to be a similarity between him and Draco or...were all boys just like this?

In any case, Hermione was just as worried (if not more) as she had been before, and felt that the next hour was going to be quite trying for her, almost as trying as when she and the boys had pulled their stint at the ministry in September.

Merlin, that feels so long ago! And it's not like, given what you've done, you can really criticize Draco on doing the same...

Not that it stopped her from doing so internally anyway.

Hiding her agitation as best she could from Harry, who was now outside on guard duty, Hermione thus spent the rest of her morning pacing back and forth, her nose buried in The Tales of Beedle the Bard as a cover for her otherwise worried sick expression...

Having had gourmet meals prepared for him practically since infancy, the gillyweed obviously left much to be desired by way of taste. Still, after stripping down to his trunks and casting the warming charm while he was at it, Draco didn't hesitate to swallow the thing, watching in awe as his feet and hands developed webbing between his fingers and toes, making them appear fin-like. He reached up and felt the newly developed gills on his neck, which in turn came with the feeling of being really dried-out. Despite how cold the water was likely to be even with the warming charm in place, Draco found himself wanting and needing to dive in, and so, with a quick check that his wand was on him, he slid forward into the lake, levitating the egg behind him.

Half-crawling half-swimming along the sandy bank, Draco didn't expect the sudden drop into deeper waters, but surprisingly he welcomed it. Since it was cloudy out that day, it was fairly dim underwater, so Draco had no choice but to take out his wand. Not sure how well his voice would carry, he nevertheless opened his mouth and said, "Lumos!"

A light appeared at the point of his wand as it was supposed to and so, tucking the wand between his teeth in a rather ridiculous-looking but effective grip, Draco swam forward, his hands and legs moving effortlessly through the water.

The key to the success of the trade was to make it as quickly as possible to the merpeople village, as he only had a short window of time in which to complete his business. One hour. Draco was very conscious of every minute, but not enough to let it worry him just yet.

Swimming forward, he kept up the egg right alongside him, though the deeper and further he swam, the harder it was to maintain his focus on a levitation spell, a warming charm, and keeping his wand alight. Unwilling to stop even once the warming charm started to ebb a bit and he began to feel the cold in his extremities, Draco swam ahead.

After maybe ten minutes or so, he finally noticed something other than fish and underwater vegetation ahead of him; just off to the right, illuminated by some dim source, a gate-like structure loomed. Shutting off the lighting charm on his wand, Draco tucked it into his trunks pocket and swam forward, egg in tow. As he reached the solid arches, which up close were very primitive but did nevertheless glow, he noticed two creatures standing at either side of the gate. Larger than him and with tails on their bottom halves instead of feet, Draco recognized right away from the sketches he had studied that these were merpeople. And though they were green-skinned, scaly, and had tendrils instead of hair—and not to mention some reptilian/fish facial features—they didn't appear to be hostile, and just regarded him with absent curiosity.

Willing his translation ring to work, Draco spoke up first, greeting them. The two merpeople—both male, it seemed—exchanged looks, then turned back to him, surprised. What they said back sounded gargled and more based on the sound waves in the water than actual sounds, but Draco nevertheless understood.

Thank Merlin and his own vast stores of wealth—the ring worked perfectly in helping him speak and understand Mermish!

"What are you doing here, human?" one of the merpeople asked. "Your kind do not belong down here."

Draco openly gestured to the egg behind him. "I have brought a gift for the merpeople here. If you will let me speak to your leader—"

"We have no leader!" interrupted the other merperson, looking annoyed. "We are all equal in this dwelling. State your business now, human!"

Unfortunately, of all the details that hadn't been mentioned even vaguely in the books, merpeople government was one of them; Draco gulped, hoping he hadn't touched on too sensitive a point, and then went on to "stating his business". As he began, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that more merpeople were approaching, drawn from the shadows by what was no doubt an unexpected visitor. Just a little bit, Draco began to feel nervous as he realized that there were far more of them than he remembered from the Triwizard Tournament, and he was very easily surrounded.

Don't panic, Draco! Keep calm and get this over with.

Fortunately, the voice in his head was for once not akin to the cool criticism of his father, but...more like something that Severus would say. And since he had set Draco on this task in the first place and very likely intended for him to end up here, Draco had to trust him on it.

"I've come seeking the lost sheath of the Bloody Baron!" Draco announced, taking it for granted that the merpeople both knew he what he was talking about and also that they had it.

By the sudden tensing of both of the merpeople by the gate, it was clear that he had interpreted things correctly on both counts.

"Do you mean to fight us for it, human?" one of them asked. "It is one of our most prized relics, goblin-made, and we will not hand it over easily!"

Draco hurriedly held up his hands...er, fins...defensively. "Of course not! I wouldn't dare!" Then, just in case they were creatures of vanity, he added, "What chance would I have against you anyway?"

One of the merpeople, at least, seemed to be mildly appeased. "At least you recognize the futility of your quest, then. Leave now, and we will spare your life."

It was as good a warning and excuse to leave as any, but Draco Malfoy had not gone through all that trouble to give up easily. This determination was very unlike him, he realized, and perhaps inspired more than a little by someone else who remained determined even in times of hopelessness, but nevertheless he found himself acting on it rather than backing out as he usually would have done.

"But you are not violent beasts," he countered, using the same classification that the merpeople had chosen for themselves. "Why attack me when I mean you no harm?"

One of the merpeople grunted noncommittally, and it took Draco a moment to realize that this was their version of a...chuckle?

"The only reason we have not attacked you yet is because you speak our language, human. Very few have ever tried to learn, and so we let you leave in peace for that, if nothing else."

"I'm also a Hogwarts student," Draco added. "As far as I know, wizards have done nothing to you, and there are some, like Albus Dumbledore, whom you even respected."

"But Albus Dumbledore is not alive anymore, is he?" a merperson hissed from behind him, making Draco flinch. Swimming close, she sneered right in his face. "He was killed by Hogwarts's new headmaster, wasn't he? Since that time, the waters here have become troubled, and our peace is no longer what it was."

Draco hesitated, unsure whether he should reveal anything more about himself, but then decided that since there was no one for them to tell anyway and since, like Hermione had said, any new allies were worth looking into, it was worth it to be honest. "I'm working to change that," he said, then gestured to the egg behind him, which several of the merpeople had been eyeing curiously since the beginning. "For starters, this is a gift for you."

"A gift?" One of the merpeople from the gate eyed the egg closely. "What is it you have brought us, human?"

"A kracken egg."

There were excited murmurs all around him, and even one of the doubting guards looked surprised.

"You...would give us such a treasure?" one of them murmured.

"In exchange for the sheath, yes," Draco specified.

"You realize that with a kracken in our possession, much will change. Nothing will be as it once was in the Black Lake," the guard cautioned.

"What you do with the egg doesn't matter in the slightest to me. The lake is your territory anyway," Draco said.

One of the guards—clearly the one that was more suspicious of him and in favour of the whole "killing him" idea—sniffed dismissively. "How do we know this will be a fair exchange? A kracken's egg, if it be real, is worth ten such sheaths!" He turned to his fellow merpeople. "Why should a wizard trade fairly with us?!"

"Dumbledore would have!" Draco interjected, before the merpeople could have too much time to consider it. "And the egg is useless to me, anyway. I live on dry land and a kracken could never survive that way. Take it—the egg is yours and with a kracken to guard your city, your power would go unchallenged underwater!"

The same guard sniffed. "We seek no power; only humans think that way. Why else would we deny being grouped in the same class as you?" But then, with a long look towards the egg, he added, "Still, we treasure such beings of the deep more than you humans ever could; and so, we will accept your gift."

He motioned for several of the merpeople to go fetch it, at which point Draco finally eased off the levitation spell and let them sweep it away. Then, turning to the guards again, he held out his fins. "And the sheath?"

Grunting, the suspicious guard nodded to his left, after which a merperson quickly swam away and then returned a couple of silence-filled minutes later with a long, silvery sheath. Obviously goblin-made by the quality of the steel and the personalized rune indicated which goblinsmith was responsible for its making, the sheath was still flawless and unblemished even after centuries underwater. Draco couldn't help but gaze at it in wonder, not least because this was his first view of goblin-made steel.

"Take it and go," the guard said roughly, handing it to Draco. "It is, like you say, useless to us."

Draco wasn't sure if he was willing to buy that, especially as earlier the same guard had said it was one of their most "prized relics", but he wasn't about to stick around and argue over details. The bargaining had gone over well and now it was time to leave—since the stress of being surrounded, Draco had lost track of the time and didn't know how much he had left, but he assumed it was just barely enough to get back to shore.

Nodding his head in acknowledgement, Draco gave his goodbyes in flawless Mermish, and then swam away.

The guards watched him go, all the while remaining perfectly still. Then, as soon as he was out of sight of their luminous glowing city, the quickly circled round and headed in different directions—but all to reach the same destination.

It was maddening when half the morning was gone and, in all likelihood, Hermione knew that even now Draco was probably underwater and undergoing this task alone. He had already said that there was no one he'd trust to go with him, but...still, it was better to have a dubious human ally than to have none at all, she reasoned! Even if he'd brought along someone like Bellatrix herself, at least the insane witch wouldn't let her own nephew drown, right?

Pacing back and forth, yet again doing nothing was not something that Hermione had ever been good with. But while it had been one thing to do it when it was just her and Harry (and Ron) and no one was in direct danger, doing it while Draco could very much be in danger was something that she just couldn't bear!

Okay, but what can you do, Hermione Granger? she questioned herself. After all, the Black Lake is near Hogwarts, and if you so much as set foot near the castle, you'll be caught and wind up in Voldemort's hands faster than you can say 'Merlin's beard!'. That isn't worth the risk to anyone, not even if he is your friend now and you're going bonkers wondering about him!

And, not to put too fine a point on it, but Hermione felt that she was going bonkers more than was justified. Just why was she so worried, anyway? Because it was the merpeople she didn't know much about, or because—

Because it was Draco putting himself at risk like that and just the thought of him hurt resulted in a twisting of her gut. Merlin, when did I start to care so much? she wondered.

Closer to noon, Harry finally finished his shift on guard duty and came back into the tent, catching Hermione in what was more of a vulnerable moment than she would've liked. Confused, her bespectacled friend gently removed the locket from her neck—which Hermione had almost forgotten that she was wearing, strangely enough—but the worried feeling still didn't leave her.

Once Harry put it on, he asked her, "What's wrong, 'Mione? You've been like this since last night and I know something's bothering you."

"Oh?" Hermione hadn't realized that since back then Harry had noticed anything. Perhaps she was being unfair to her friend and automatically grouping him with Ron, but Harry was far more perceptive than their redheaded friend had been; in other words, Hermione should've been more careful and aware of how she was acting than she had been. "Harry, it's nothing. I mean, it's nothing to concern yourself with," she added, at his skeptical look.

"If it bothers you then it bothers me," he said, and the moment was so sweet that Hermione almost wanted to give him a hug. However, since Harry's concern would dissipate the second she mentioned just what and who it was she was worried about, she didn't linger on the details. Instead, she only said what she'd been thinking of and wanting to say since the beginning.

"There's something I need to check and I think it might be urgent," she confessed, rubbing her arms at the chill of the morning as the wind blew through the tent-flap. "But...it's very dangerous, Harry. It would involve me going...near Hogwarts, and I know nothing's worth the risk of that."

Harry stared at her with wide eyes, though to his credit he didn't say anything until he thought it over. "Would you be going onto the castle grounds?" he asked in a low voice.

Hermione was at least able to answer honestly to this. "No, I don't think so." The Black Lake wasn't exactly on Hogwarts property, after all—just adjacent to it. Not that it wouldn't still be dangerous though...

"Would you be going inside the confines of that barrier they set up?"

Of course, neither of them knew how far the barrier extended from the castle itself, but it was enough to know that it was there. If Hermione tried to apparate within the barrier, those inside the castle would instantly be alerted to her presence and, worse yet, she might even end up stunned and unconscious, waiting for the nearest death eater to pick her up. If she was careful to apparate at a far enough distance though...

Before you do anything, check to see if he's alright, stupid! her logical voice spoke up.

"One minute, Harry," she breathed, dashing out of the tent and leaving her friend confused. Summoning up her patronus and for once not bothering with the voice disguise, she quickly sent out her otter to Draco, asking—nay, demanding—to know where he was and how he was. The hour since he had last contacted her was almost up!

A few minutes passed, each one more nerve-wracking than the last, and no response came. Willing herself not to panic just yet, Hermione summoned up her patronus one more time. "Draco, I'm not joking about this! Please answer just to let me know you're alright and that you've received this!" The urgent tone of her voice communicated more than anything how worried and close to the edge she was.

But when, a full five minutes later he hadn't answered, there was no stopping the rise in panic. Draco wouldn't put her off like that, not now. And since he had already made his plans and the timeline clear to her, Hermione knew that he wasn't with anyone else at this time either—he wouldn't let mere Hogwarts students and professors deter him from his plan. He had been more determined than ever to get this over with, so he had most definitely gone through with it. That he wasn't answering now could mean several things, but none of them were something that Hermione wanted to dwell on.

Like it or not, risky or not, she had to go see what was going on!

Hold on, Hermione, do you hear yourself? she demanded. This is bigger than you and Draco and just about everyone else in the Wizarding World, even Harry! Nothing you do can compromise what you're doing right now—nothing, do you understand?

But when this logical voice of hers tried to rear itself up against the image of Draco in her mind, Draco laughing, Draco holding her hands, and Draco pleading that he wasn't the person he had been before...

Suddenly it brought a whole new meaning to what it was that they were fighting for in the first place.

So many were already dead in their fight against Voldemort—Sirius, Mad-Eye, Dumbledore—and it wouldn't be worth a thing if even more of their friends and allies died! Besides which, with Draco it was different, as she was the only one who knew of him as an ally and was the only one who knew what he was up to! He had reached out to her for advice the previous evening and all she had been able to do was try and convince him not to go! She may have been right in her reasoning, but it didn't matter now. Whether Draco was in harm's way or he turned out to be alright, Hermione would never forgive herself if she overlooked her basic instincts and didn't go to at least check.

Merlin, this could be suicide for all you know! logic tried one more time to convince her. This time though, Hermione had a ready comment in return:

Those who abandon their friends to die are better off dead themselves. It would make her entirely less than human if she ignored a potential danger to Draco now.

All that now settled in her head, she went back inside the tent and explained to Harry the necessity of her going. Harry, for all that he was wary, noted the unusual intensity in what Hermione was saying and put his own doubts aside, trying in his own desperate way to trust in her judgement.

"Be very careful, Hermione," he stressed, looking grim. "And take this with you."

Hermione grabbed hold of what he handed her, which was of course his Invisibility Cloak. And though Hermione didn't know how much she'd need it depending on where and how she found Draco, she was still nevertheless grateful to have it as extra protection.

Enveloping Harry in a quick yet tight hug to communicate her thanks, Hermione wrapped herself in the cloak and prepared to disapparate. "I'll send a patronus when I can but...if I'm not back by tonight, then move to a different location."

"Hermione..." Harry had completely stilled, but Hermione didn't have time to explain things to him—she had wasted enough precious minutes already, all of which only convinced her more and more that something was wrong, as Draco still hadn't sent back a patronus response.

"Promise me, Harry!" she insisted. "Nothing will happen to me and I'll do everything I can to return to you, but...just in case, I need to know that you'll be safe."

To this, Harry could only give one firm nod, but he looked resolved. Her heart aching in more ways than one for what she was about to do, for the briefest instant Hermione considered changing her mind. It was foolhardy, it was dangerous, it was...

It was already what she had decided to do.

Leaving no time for any other thoughts, Hermione Granger quickly disapparated, leaving the Chosen One alone to go to possibly one of the most dangerous places in the Wizarding World.

A/N: *deep breath* In some ways, I feel like I'm just making things harder and harder for myself to keep up in this story as I keep upping the stakes, but at the same time that's what's enjoyable about the writing process, ha. Trying to develop a sense of urgency in Hermione was a really tricky process from the writer's point of view, as she's usually so calm and collected even in the worst of times, right? I tried to combat her natural concern for her friends with the logic in her head telling her what's a good idea versus what's not, but obviously I'll have to have her act on emotion if we want the plot to move forward, right? So, even if it's slightly out of character for Hermione to be quite as worried as I've made her, I hope readers don't mind this too much. *fingers crossed*

Also, just a note on the Mermish language here—because I'm a stickler for details! So, basically, what's known about Mermish is that it only sounds like shrieks and other unintelligible sounds outside of water, and underwater it sounds faintly like English, but since Draco's translation ring will also have other uses in this story, I've decided to function based on the assumption that Mermish is unintelligible to humans in general, and thus his ring has several uses. Ahem, just a fast tidbit note on that.

Anyway, next chapter will see our next Dramione in-person encounter—see, I promised they'd be more frequent!—and...let's just say that I have big things planned for it, okay? Another L-O-N-G interaction, but I promise that it's less business-discussion-based this time. Erm...sort of? *wink wink*

Please follow, favourite, and review as always!