Chapter 46 - Back to Hogwarts

Up until the moment that he actually found himself in the girl's bathroom, ignoring Moaning Myrtle's wails and trying to picture himself talking to a snake like Harry had advised, Draco didn't know that his translator ring would actually work in getting the Chamber of Secrets open. After all, clever device though it was, surely the magic protecting Salazar Slytherin's last retreat for hundreds of years was much more powerful and immune to trickery, right?

As it turned out though, he needn't have worried, as the chamber yielded almost immediately to his instructions and granted him entry. Myrtle, peeking over the top of her stall, observed the young Malfoy boy go inside, though it was beyond her what he could possibly want in there. That terrible beast responsible for her demise was long dead, so the Malfoy boy was rather late to play the hero after Harry Potter—dear, kind Harry, thought Mrytle—had already killed it.

Unbeknownst to her though, Draco was quite relieved to think of the basilisk as being long dead, even though its lair was creepy and disconcerting enough with or without that knowledge. Seeing so many bones and breathing in the stale, centuries-old smell of death in the air, Draco for a moment almost felt what it was like to be claustrophobic. Keeping his hand on his wand, he proceeded ahead, wary just in case something unexpected happened.

As it was though, nothing happened, and he made it to the main part of the chamber with no trouble. There, he spoke Parseltongue yet again to unlock the door, and found himself for the first time in what could only be described as the very showcase of what being a Slytherin meant. Used to the snakes of his house, Draco wasn't surprised or at all effected by the statues that most people would have deemed creepy. But then, most people wouldn't have even noticed the statues in comparison to, oh, say...

...the enormous skeleton of the basilisk right in the center of the room.

Guess no one bothered to clean up in here, Draco thought. In fact, given how completely untouched everything looked, Draco doubted that anyone had gone in there since Harry left in second year. This room, Draco realized, was both the birth- and death-place of one of the Dark Lord's horcruxes; even now, to an extent, Draco shivered to think of what had transpired here.

Not the time to be thinking of the Dark Lord, dolt, Draco thought, though in a sense he almost couldn't help it.

Contrary to his first intention to going into the chamber right away, before that Draco remembered that he actually had to return to Gringotts to fetch the sheath from his family vault. While there, he had also fetched the dragon whistle, remembering from his long-ago discussion with Hermione that it was likely the only other thing of value amidst his list of red herrings. Funnily enough, even once Draco had collected everything on the list—well, unicorn blood excluded, since Luna had given him that and they'd used it on Harry—he still hadn't gotten around to asking Severus what everything was for.

Could the dragon whistle have had its use back at Gringotts, if only Draco had known and stopped to grab it before going to the trio's aid?

And besides, how could Severus even know all that? Draco wondered, the idea circling in his mind once more whether Snape had actually known that they'd be needing the unicorn blood and sheath at one point. And also, there was that business about Harry just happening to find the Sword of Gryffindor in the middle of the forest...the details on that were still a little unclear...

Soon, maybe right after they destroyed the cup, Draco figured that he'd have to press for a proper talk with his godfather, as things were finally coming to a head and it was time to...

His thoughts cut off as Draco reached the mouth of the basilisk, nothing the deadly-looking fangs in its mouth, even in death.

It might be a long shot that the basilisk even had any more venom left, so decomposed was its body and so dry, but now was the time, if ever, to find out. Draco pulled on a glove with the hand he would be using.

Grabbing hold of a fang as the most likely place to secure the venom, Draco pulled it out and then grabbed the sheath from his robes. Setting it down, he muttered "Lumos" and glanced inside the fang in the hopes that there would be some telltale signs of liquid. Unfortunately, there was none.

At the back, towards its saliva glands, Draco thought, not willing to give up until he could positively say that he had tried everything. Even if he was in the process of failing the mission—of failing Hermione—he had to say that he had tried what he could.

The teeth at the back of the basilisk's mouth were harder to pull out, and not to mention harder to reach. Draco took that as a sign that the decomposition hadn't worked as fast there, and doubled his efforts to pull harder. Finally, the stubborn fang came loose and Draco gasped in pain as he felt a droplet of liquid seep through his protective glove and onto his skin. It burned and stung like acid, but once Draco looked down, he saw that in fact it didn't look worse than an irritating rash. Still though, the pain...

Get it on the sheath and get it to Hermione, Draco thought, needing to stay focused. He'd pour some dittany or something on it after.

Inside the fang, there proved to be a small pool of dark, nasty-looking liquid. The venom, most assuredly. And if only Draco hadn't accidentally gotten a drop on his skin in the process, he might almost have considered himself lucky at this moment.

Holding the fang upside down over the bottom end of the sheath that was reasonably sharper than the head, Draco poured what little liquid there was and waited to see if anything would happen, some effect to prove that the goblin-made steel had absorbed the power of the venom. When nothing did happen, Draco debated in maybe grabbing another fang and pouring some more, but he wasn't too keen to get burned again. Already, as he looked down at his hand, the small area where the drop had landed was beginning to swell, like a belated allergic reaction.

If that venom was the real thing, then his hand was proof enough of it.

Best hurry, he thought, standing up and picking up the sheath by its head and tucking it into his robes.

Dropping the fang and not looking back, he then dashed out of the Chamber of Secrets. Years ago, as a devoted Slytherin, he might have stayed behind to admire the architecture a bit longer. As it was now though, he was in a hurry to get out.

No sooner did Draco leave the girl's bathroom though, than "getting out" was a concept that no longer seemed viable. Of all the times and in all the places for his so-called "friends" to show up, apparently it was now that Crabbe and Goyle finally made an appearance, Pansy Parkinson between them looking both smug and angry. They had no way of knowing what Draco was up to, but being confronted by them at any time was a bad thing; being seen coming out of the girl's bathroom was just an added bonus of embarrassment.

"What do you lot want?" Draco asked, purposely keeping his tone aloof and indifferent. Some small detail of his expression must've betrayed him though, because for once none of them were convinced.

And besides which, much to his chagrin and despite his standing as the top student "enforcer" at the school, even Crabbe and Goyle were no longer truly intimidated by him—Crabbe especially, given all the extra lessons he'd been taking with Amycus Carrow.

"Where you off to, Draco?" Crabbe asked, stepping forward in some sort of self-appointed glorifying role as the trio's leader. "You never seem to be around these days."

Draco rolled his eyes as though the conversation bored him, but Crabbe didn't seem at all ready to back down—and, damn it all, Draco's hand still hurt, he could feel it starting to throb!

"Draco, I've seen where you go already, so why bother denying it?" Pansy asked with a pout, stepping forward. For a second, Draco actually panicked, thinking that she had somehow found out everything, but then Pansy continued, "What are you doing in the Room of Requirement all the time, Draco?"

Ah, so she knew some of the truth, but only a small bit of it and that probably from spying on him. Draco could've slapped himself for being careless any number of times—maybe his natural Malfoy confidence really had gotten ahead of him?—but right now, he wasn't in the danger zone just yet, so he wasn't about to panic. For one thing, none of them knew precisely what he had hidden in there or that he went in and out of Hogwarts at will, and there was still an important fact that Draco had to keep in mind:

They hadn't told either the Carrows or the Headmaster about this (who, even though Snape was secretly on their side, would have to punish him publicly in order to keep his own allegiances a secret, so that was bound to be unpleasant). If they had, then they three wouldn't be confronting him themselves like this; instead, if the Carrows knew, Draco would be on his way to their detention block faster than he could disapparate.

For now, they were still guessing; and Draco would have to bluff his way out.

"What's it to you what I do?" he asked, looking so cocky and so usually like himself that Pansy and Goyle, at least, hesitated.

Not Crabbe, though.

"Stuff it, Draco!" he spat, stepping forward and daring to take out his wand. "Everyone knows you're finished and your dad's finished too! The Dark Lord no longer cares what happens to you and it's only a matter of time until he gets rid of you like he did your aunt!"

Draco blinked, not sure that he'd heard correctly. "What did you say?"

Crabbe grinned wickedly, looking delighted at having caught Draco in a corner. "Oh, didn't know, did you? Well, seems like Potter and his gang broke into her vault at Gringotts and stole something that she was keeping for the Dark Lord. It was under her protection, so she's failed him in letting that happen, just like your bloody father failed him two years ago at the ministry!"

Draco clenched his fists, trying to reign in his sudden burst of anger. Much as he might feel badly towards his family as well, bitter towards his father and wary of his crazy aunt, he did not want anyone else, least of all an oaf like Crabbe, to insult them. "Watch what you say, you imbecile," he said, his words clipped and barely restraining the rage he felt within. That was what Crabbe wanted right now: to get a rise out of him and provoke them both into fighting. But Draco wasn't about to play by his rules.

Pansy, perhaps feeling a touch of pity for Draco or affection from the old days, stepped forward. Her expression was still nasty, but her tone was significantly lighter than Crabbe's. "The Dark Lord didn't kill her or anything, Draco, but he did use the Crutiatus Curse on her." She shuddered. "I don't think I've ever heard of him using it on Madame Lestrange before..."

No, he probably hadn't, but losing a horcrux was something that even Bellatrix couldn't be forgiven for, Draco reflected. And speaking of which, he didn't have time to waste here arguing with this lot; he had to get the sheath to Harry!

And his hand...well, it hadn't gotten worse, but it certainly wasn't getting any better.

"I've heard enough. Get out of my way," Draco hissed, striding forward. But when Crabbe merely stepped into his path and gave him a malicious glare, Draco saw that there was no easy way out of this. Whatever the problem was, he wouldn't be able to avoid it this time.

Taking out his wand, Draco addressed Crabbe, "You really don't want to fight me over this, Crabbe," he warned.

Crabbe's lips curled in an ugly sneer. "Yes, Draco, I do!" he exclaimed.

And so began, in the secluded hallway near the girl's bathroom on the second floor, a duel unlike any that the teachers of Hogwarts would have condemned before Voldemort and the death eaters had taken over. As it was though, classes were ongoing, so no one besides the four were even a witness to the fight.

Crabbe, it became clear early on during the duel, was no match for Draco. Alone. But then Goyle stepped in as well and even for Draco, battling both of them collectively was too much. He put all his concentration into defense once they both attacked, having to abandon the nonverbals that he had until now been shooting at Crabbe. The spells and hexes they were sending his way were strong, all of them nasty and painful enough to knock him unconscious if only he wasn't so apt at blocking them. Unfortunately though, this left him no room for attack, and very slowly he began to lose ground.

Just when it seemed like he was backed into a corner and would have to yield to whatever hideous spells they had in store for him, it was Pansy who stepped in and delivered the final blow, via a stinging hex aimed right at his head.

Draco fell down, his vision blacking out even as his fellow housemates began to discuss in hurried, excited whispers what they were going to do next.

Draco had no idea what happened after that.

Something was wrong.

It had been three days since Draco had left them to go into the Chamber of Secrets, and he should've been back by now. And try as she might, Hermione could not argue against herself and make herself believe that something serious and bad hadn't happened to him. And although jumping only to the worst case scenarios was a bad thing to do for her own peace of mind, what other reason could there be for his not having come back yet, nor sent any word?

Harry, noticing her mood and correctly guessing the reason for it, urged her to send Draco a patronus just to check in and make sure that he was alright, but Hermione didn't dare to do so. After all, if something bad had truly happened, the last thing she needed to do would be attempt to contact him and risk getting them all in worse trouble and danger. No, they would just have to wait it out.

But then as the hours passed and still there wasn't any sign of him, and as the time came for them to move camp or risk running into snatchers, suddenly Hermione wasn't so sure that they could afford to wait any longer. Not for Draco, but for...well, for going back to Hogwarts.

That night, she brought up the idea with the boys to see how they'd react. For once, they were all in agreement:

Yes, the time had finally come to think about going back to Hogwarts.

"On the one hand, I know it's...mental, but we can't afford to wait," Hermione said, not stating outright that her worry for Draco was what pushed her to come to this conclusion rather than a need to destroy another Horcrux or the like.

For Harry though, the reason was much more serious. "He's making his move as well," he announced suddenly, causing both Hermione and Ron to look at him in shock.

"Blimey! What d'you mean?" Ron asked.

Harry's face was grim. "He knows what we've done and he knows it's only a matter of time before we try and destroy the cup. He's gotten all the forces he needs, death eaters and giants and...other things."

"What things, Harry?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide.

Harry shook his head. "I don't know, it all comes in pieces, but he's losing control. He's...afraid."

"Well, I mean...that's good, isn't it?" Ron asked, sounding excited. "If he's afraid, then that means we're getting close to destroying him, yeah?"

"Ron, if he's afraid, then that means he'll be more on guard and fighting harder than ever to keep alive," Hermione corrected him. Then, laying a hand on Harry's shoulder, she asked, "When will he attack?"

There was no doubt in Harry's voice as he said: "Tomorrow night."

It was much earlier than either of his friends had anticipated, but neither doubted his word. As the danger sunk in for all of them and they realized that now things were finally coming to a head, Ron nodded and stated out their conclusion. "So then, we need to get into Hogwarts, find the rest of the horcruxes and destroy them. Otherwise, it's...it's all over, isn't it?"

Harry nodded. "We'll need to inform the Order before anything else, let them know what's coming."

Ron stood up. "I'll send a message to Bill. He'll see to it."

Hermione's heart swelled as she watched him leave the tent to send out a patronus. All the Weasleys, Lupin, Tonks, and not to mention McGonagall and all of their other Hogwarts professors and classmates—after so long, they'd finally be seeing all of them again, and it would be in a battle for their lives.

And Draco...was he even...?

As though sensing her pain and worry, Harry placed his hand over Hermione's. "We'll find Draco too, Hermione," he murmured.

Hermione nodded, then finally looked up at Harry. "You don't think anything's happened to him, or that—"

"No! Hermione, no one knows that he's on our side!" Harry cut in before she could finish. "Why would anyone attack him, or even have the nerve to?"

Hermione shrugged, unable to convince herself of that truth. It was too simple, too straightforward, and things never worked out that easily for them—not even now, when their path seemed clear and things should be easy.

Or...no, they shouldn't. They were harder than ever and the price of success in ending this war might very well be their lives.

"Sooner or later, someone's bound to find out, Harry," Hermione replied at last, her voice strangely cold and distant as she analyzed this from as objective an angle as she could—anything, really, to keep from wearing her heart out on her sleeve and let anyone know just how close it was to breaking. For now, she was just worrying, and yet...this time she couldn't convince herself that she was overthinking things or letting her emotions get the better of her. This time, she just knew that something wasn't right and that Draco was hurt, or worse. Already, she felt it eating away at her, and the only way she could keep calm about this even on the outside was to detach herself from the situation—so that's what she was doing.

"Everything's coming to the end now. Those who stand with or against...him. All of it. Soon, everyone will know, and once they do, Draco's as good as—"

"I've just gotten through to Bill," Ron called out just as he came into the tent. Lucky that he did though, because it wasn't as though finishing that train of thought would do Hermione any good.

Now, she really and truly needed to put her own emotions aside and focus on the task at hand: getting back to Hogwarts and destroying what remained of the Horcruxes. Now, more than ever, she couldn't afford to be lax, not when her friends were depending on her.

And even when...no, if she ended up losing Draco as well, then she couldn't lose her friends as well.

Tomorrow was a new day—and it might just be their last chance to make things right.

Or die.

A/N: Woah, I just hit the 200k word count mark on this story. I'll be honest, I did not expect the word count to reach this far after only 46 chapters, but there you have it!

Whew, okay, a grim ending on both parts there, but things have to get worse before they get better, right? Anyway, as you can tell, this chapter is pretty much the setup for finally beginning the Battle of Hogwarts, which right now I can tell you will probably take maybe 5-7 chapters to get through, what with all of the changes I'm planning. Some things from canon will be kept in, of course, but chances are that I'll be going through those parts a bit quicker because, again, Rowling already wrote them perfectly and if you want, you can just watch the movie or re-read the book for those epic moments. Besides which, this is a Dramione fic, so you can assume that for some key scenes like Harry confronting Voldemort alone or viewing Snape's memories or the like, I won't be going into those and instead sticking to Hermione and Draco's points of view. Again though, there are also some key changes as well and I'll try to get some slower moments in there so that it won't be all action, but now we're moving into the last leg of the Deathly Hallows, so bear with me please!

If anyone's wondering, I'll take the opportunity to announce this again here and now, this story will be continuing after the Battle of Hogwarts finishes. I promised smut, for starters, and I don't plan on wrapping everything up neatly with a bow and time skipping to nineteen years later when everyone has kids or anything. No no no, let's let their story continue because that's what fanfictions are for, shall we? Meh, it'll be fun, so I hope everyone hangs on for the ride!

That being said, moving forward I also want everyone to know that updates for the Battle of Hogwarts chapters may be slower than before. It's summer and my schedule's much freer than before so I'll try to get those chapters out there, but that being said, the chapters that I want to write here are also more challenging. We've got the usual canon vs. fanfiction debate of what to change and what to keep, and I'm still debating whether some of the ideas that I want to put in are any good, or if I should leave them just the way that Rowling wrote them. Ah, the writer's debate, eh?

In any case though, please hand in there and show your support via follows, favourites, and reviews reviews reviews! Onward to an exciting new arc in our story!