Authors Notes
Hi….. and Happy Monday everyone! I don't think this chapter is in need of any trigger warnings. There is a little bit of a mention of what Pansy is up to, but not as much as the last chapter, so if you got through the last one you should be fine here. :-)
If you are reading this on fanfiction please note that this is Champagneandliterature's story too, but she doesn't post her stories here so look her up on ao3 if you like Wolfstar!
Thank you soooooooo much for the comments and reviews, we love getting them, and we hugely appreciate every person who leaves us one! (or kudos on AO3)
See you all next week! Xxx
Beyond the Sea
Chapter 5 - Explanations. (Hermione.)
Hermione waited apprehensively in the lounge for the signal that would cause the others to apparate away to the evening's raid. It was almost 11 pm now, and although Draco was unsure of the exact time the call would come, he seemed to think that it would be before midnight. The atmosphere in the little house had been strained all night. Ron had been playing Wizard's Chess with Theo for most of the evening, both of them staring intently at the board and thoroughly absorbed in their game. Hermione had been reclining on the sofa, pretending to read once again, but despite her lifelong love of books and the abundance of new ones in the house, she had found her current housemates too distracting to ignore.
Harry had closeted himself off somewhere with Ginny, and there had been no sign of Pansy and Blaise for a long time either, something that Draco had rather insensitively commented on in front of Ron. Theo had picked up the chessboard to distract him, having seen the hurt that flashed into his eyes at Draco's observation, and Theo had then proceeded to lose three games in a row. This was unusual as he and Ron were both equally skilled at the game.
Draco was sitting on the opposite sofa watching them with an amused smirk on his face. "That's three-nil to you, Weasley," he said as Ron moved his king into another checkmate, causing Theo to roll his eyes in frustration. "What's with you, Nott? You can't be off your game tonight."
"I know, mate." Theo nodded. "I won't be." He settled back, turning in his chair to study Draco. "What's the plan?"
"You know the plan."
"Humor me then. What's the plan, Malfoy? It's almost time to go, and you've said nothing yet." Hermione's confusion grew as Theo appeared to indicate Ron. "Is this a good idea?"
"No. It's a terrible idea. That's why Potter's going instead."
Theo nodded as Ron spun around angrily, "I thought I was going tonight. Theo asked me to do it at dinnertime. Nagini's not going to be there. You said so yourself!"
"Too late, I'm afraid," Draco lifted a lazy brow at Ron's annoyance. "Change of plan. Harry's doing this one."
"You don't think I'm capable?"
"Not of this, no."
Ron's eyes flashed with fury. "Why? I've done it plenty of times before, successfully too, I might add! I thought you and I had got over this!"
"Oh, we have, settle down!" Draco rolled his eyes as Hermione shifted uncomfortably in her seat, wincing at the pain in her arm. "This isn't about competence, Ron."
Hermione scowled at Draco herself. Apparently, some things never changed. He was still capable of stunning levels of rudeness. She faltered as his eyes flicked to hers, though, and he gave an apologetic nod. She frowned again, more confused than ever by his mixed signals. Draco checked his watch, then, bringing his grey eyes back to Hermione's, he reached down his thigh, subtly pressing a finger to a specific spot. Hermione watched as his mouth moved and an inaudible incantation left his lips. From somewhere upstairs, there was the sound of a disapparation pop.
"You tosser Malfoy!" Ron leaped to his feet, "You gave Harry the coordinates and not me! Why's he doing this too? What the hell's going on?!" Ron's face clouded suddenly with clear understanding, "oh, I get it. This is because Pansy's on the raid tonight, isn't it?"
Draco sighed in exasperation and rubbed a hand over his eyes. He was obviously not used to being questioned or challenged like this. "Oh, Weasley, do as I said, settle down for Salazar's sake. Let me explain."
Ron was clearly in no mood for being patronized either. "Time to go," Theo interrupted, wincing as he rubbed a finger over his Dark Mark. "Perfect timing as always, mate. Ron, we'll look after Pansy. I promise. Explain, Malfoy, right now you're infuriating." With a twist and a swirl of black smoke, Theo picked up his mask then apparated away, just as Ginny appeared in the doorway, taking in her brother's fury, Draco's quiet amusement, and Hermione's anxious confusion.
"Picked a good moment to come in, did I?" She smirked, plopping down next to Hermione on the sofa. "What did you do this time, blondie? Ron looks ready to kill you."
"You're spending too much time with Pansy," Draco grumbled. "I'm not putting up with that nickname from both of you. Anyway, why haven't you and Potter made up yet?"
"Alright, snarky pants," Ginny grinned defiantly back at him, "how do you know we haven't made up?"
"You're hairs far too perfect for you to have had decent make up sex."
Ginny huffed. "Alright! Merlin! No, we haven't made up. And that's enough commenting on it, thank you, don't piss me off as well as everybody else."
Draco just rolled his eyes as Hermione stared at them all in utter bewilderment. She simply didn't have a clue what was going on. Again. "Come on then," Ron challenged Draco, sitting back down with a bump. "Stop irritating my sister and explain yourself."
Draco sighed. "Fine. We all know exactly how you feel about Pansy, Ron. Blaise picked her to come tonight because this mission is a safe bet. There's nothing at all there. It's a dry trail. It's one of Blaise's double-crosses, and no one can lay them like him. I can't begin to explain how he does it, except to say it's probably similar to a game of chess, but I can't get my head around that either. Suffice it to say this mission is a dead cert to be safe."
Draco stood up, crossed to the dresser, and took out a green velvet snitch bag. He let the little fluttering, winged ball out then sat back down, playing with it the same way Harry often did.
"Now, we know this mission is safe, but the other Death Eaters don't. So, we'll use tonight for our other purpose, which is to gather information, and no one can do that like Pansy. She has particular ways of doing it, though, and I don't think you'd like to witness it, Ron. I certainly wouldn't if it was my girl. But, we need this intel. Harry's not keen on our methods either, but he won't blow our cover by hexing someone's bollocks off. I'm sorry, Ron, but that's how it is right now. Pansy and Blaise weren't shagging earlier either, and I apologize for insinuating that they were. I needed to keep you off their trail and to let them have some time together to work out their plan."
Ron swallowed hard and stared at Draco for a long time. "You're still an arse, Malfoy. And now I've got the additional worry of what in Merlin's name she's up to out there, not to mention the fact that you all seem to know how I feel about her."
Silently Draco nodded in agreement. "I may be an arse, but I'm also an extremely loyal one. You'd have blown all our cover tonight because of your feelings for Pansy, and you'd probably have gotten killed in the process. Worst-case scenario, you'd have been captured, then I'd be the one tasked with torturing and Avada-ing you tomorrow. For the record, we'd all like to see you and Pansy together. As for tonight, she's safe. I promise."
Draco sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. It flopped back onto his forehead, and Hermione stared, mesmerized, as he, in turn, watched the snitch, holding it securely between his thumb and forefinger while its wings buzzed frantically.
"There's no criticism or doubting of your competence here, Ron. You're better out there than Harry, to be honest. If I had to choose one of you to cover me, I'd choose you. But you've never done a raid like this one, or one when Pansy's there. I protect everyone in this house." His eyes swept over Hermione and Ginny as he spoke. "I can't imagine why you ever would, but I need to ask you to trust me on this, even though you think I'm just obnoxious."
Ron sighed, dropping his eyes to the floor as he let his challenging stance fall. "I already do trust you, mate." He shook his head. "You've proved yourself to me enough times. I'm sorry, alright? I was pissed off that Pansy had to go out when she so clearly didn't want to, and you're right. I'm probably not approaching any of this with the right attitude. We don't all have your control, I'm afraid."
Draco paused, still holding the struggling snitch, and dropped his own gaze to the floor. "I'm aware. Apology accepted. As for attitudes, I'm also well aware that what we do is wrong in every sense of the word. You are not the one with the warped view of what's right and wrong here, believe me."
Draco looked back up and held Ron's eyes until they had both nodded their understanding. When both of them had made their peace, Draco turned his head to Hermione with a knowing smirk. "Alright, out with it, Granger. Three questions, and you get honest, open answers. Choose wisely."
"Why only three?!" Hermione sat up straighter. Despite her lingering weakness, she was absolutely burning with curiosity.
"Seriously? Draco ran a hand through his hair as his smirk morphed into a genuine smile, that cannot be question number one?"
"No!" she almost shrieked, as Ginny laughed, "it's not! Wait a minute. Okay, what on earth is Harry doing on this raid tonight? Why is he even on one of your raids? How did you tell him to go?" She pointed to her leg, imitating the way Draco had pressed his own. "What's that all about? What's it got to do with Nagini? Why is Ron better than Harry? Did-"
"Whoa, whoa whoa!" Draco's grin broadened. "That's a lot more than three questions already. Merlin fuck, Granger!" Despite his feigned exasperation, amusement softened his usually inscrutable face. Hermione's eyes widened as she realized it was the first time he'd given her a proper, honest smile, not just his usual signature smirk, and she couldn't help but think it suited him.
"Harry, Ron, or Ginny come on nearly every one of our raids under the invisibility cloak. They are our backup plan; if any of us get into trouble, they've got our backs covered. They've got us out of some very tight spots before, believe me. We tend to take Harry if the Dark Lord goes on the assignment because where Voldemort goes, Nagini goes-" Draco hesitated, looking at Ron, who nodded in confirmation.
"Tell her mate, you know she's good."
Draco sighed again. "Hermione, what I'm telling you tonight cannot be repeated outside of this house, understand? Inside these walls and garden we are safe, we are protected. Outside, particularly once we step outside the front gate, we are not. This is key to everything." Eagerly Hermione nodded, hardly daring to breathe. "What Voldemort doesn't know is that Nagini now recognizes two masters. Harry is equally able to control her. He can keep her out of mischief, and we take him with us if she is going to be there for that reason."
"How did you call him?" Hermione whispered, aware that she'd shifted closer and closer to the edge of her seat as Draco spoke.
"Light Marks. Here." He indicated the outside of his thigh again. "A finger press and an incantation. You know what they say, everyone's a mix of dark and light? Well, now we truly are. We thought that if Death Eaters could have Dark Marks, we could have Light Marks for our own communication needs too."
Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. There was silence for several moments as she tried to grasp what she was being told. "How does Harry control Nagini?" She asked after she had regained her grip on her vocabulary.
"Do you remember Snape's memories, where Harry learned that he was a Horcrux himself?" Hermione nodded. "Then he tried to die but didn't manage it. As usual," Draco quipped with a smirk, "Sorry Gin, couldn't resist!" He flicked the cushion Ginny had thrown back at her and continued. "Well, he's not a Horcrux anymore, but we don't think that Voldemort knows that. Neither, it seems, does Nagini. It is possible that alone is enough for the connection to work, but Harry also speaks fluent parseltongue, which seals the deal. It's enough for Nagini to recognize him as her second master. Voldemort is confused by Nagini's behavior on raids now. She doesn't always listen to him and appears to have developed a mind of her own. It's weakening him further, Voldemort no longer trusts her implicitly, but he doesn't understand why she is behaving as she is. Harry is building a relationship with her, and she's starting to favor him over Voldemort. It's frankly brilliant. The Dark Lord is thoroughly confused by it all and is becoming terrified that he's losing his grip on power. Was there one more question?"
"There are so, so many more than one," Hermione sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. Her stamina was still very low after all, "but if one's all I get right now, then let me ask you simply why? Why are you doing all of this Draco?"
"Go straight for the throat, Granger, why don't you?" Draco inhaled deeply then shook back his hair, letting the snitch out of his clenched fist to catch it again a moment later. "I want to finish him. Yes, it will be Harry that does the actual deed, but I want to mastermind it. I want that fucker to pay for everything he's ever done to me. For what he's taken from me. From others. He took everything I ever had. He took my childhood, my adolescence. He murdered my parents. He turned my ancestral family home into a mausoleum. He's taken countless lives, and he lives to inflict suffering onto others. We're getting there, inching closer to his destruction every day, but I'm not just taking him down, Hermione. Others are coming too. All of the inner circle, the ones who share his ideals and can kill without a second thought. The ones who are almost as evil as him. It will be nice and neat when it happens, Voldemort and his entire, loyal inner circle dead and gone. That's why Pansy does what she does. We're identifying the real, loyal Death Eaters and figuring out who is merely there because it's impossible to leave. There's been one thing that's been holding us back, though, up until now."
"What was that?" Despite her growing exhaustion, Hermione was still listening with rapture, eager to know everything.
"You. We knew you were alive. We vaguely knew who was holding you. We just couldn't find out where you were. You were the missing piece in the puzzle. We couldn't act on anything until you were safely with us. Freeing Harry and Ron when you were first captured was the start of things, adding Ginny then finally finding you was the finish."
"Me?" She asked incredulously, unable to hide her confusion. "Why me? Why was I the missing piece? What did adding Ginny and finding me finish?"
Draco raised a brow at the further string of questions."When you woke the other day and I brought you food, I told Harry not to mention this. Remember? He was explaining a list of points to you and I told him I'd Avada him if he disclosed point number four. I wasn't going to tell you this until you'd fully recovered, but it seems that I underestimated your intelligence. Your persistence too. So here goes. A new prophecy has been made. It talks of two groups of four people, one group dark and one group light. When combined and working together, they become all-powerful, all-consuming. They rise as one, and the Dark Lord falls once and for all. This prophecy was made on the night of the Battle of Hogwarts, after Voldemort's victory, by Professor Trelawney. He sought her out, and that was the outcome. It was witnessed by myself, Antonin Dolohov, and Bellatrix Lestrange. The Dark Lord is obsessed with it, as are we, albeit for vastly different reasons. Voldemort's also intensely confused by it because he thought Harry was the only danger he had left to face."
Draco paused, giving Hermione a chance to catch up with his words. "Voldemort sees Harry, you, and Ron as a trio, but you're actually not. The Dark Lord doesn't understand the power of elemental magic. You're actually a foursome. Ginny was the missing link. Four people, four elements. Think about it. It's ancient magic, Granger, old as the dawn of time. Ginny is Fire. Ron is Earth. Harry is Water. You are Air. Then there's us. Blaise is Fire. Pansy is Earth. Theo is Water, and I'm Air. We come together as opposites, dark and light, yin and yang. Together we can defeat him. Together we can actually win."
Total silence greeted his words. Hermione flopped into the back of the sofa as exhaustion finally overtook her. Once more, it was an awful lot to take in. She turned to Ron. "Why were you injured the night Blaise brought me here?"
Ron grinned. "I was injured in the line of duty. Malfoy here had the bright idea that Harry and I would reveal ourselves briefly on the raid, therefore letting the other Death Eaters see that it was us that had taken you. As Blaise apparated you away, the two hangers-on grabbed hold of me, one of them punched me, and the other injured my arm with a slicing jinx. That part was unplanned."
Hermione nodded, her eyes wide with the enormity of what everyone was doing. "So if the Death Eaters think you took me, why is there a raid tonight to try and recapture me?"
"Subterfuge, Granger." Draco chuckled. "It's an old, empty order safehouse. Blaise checked it out earlier in the week and put alerts all over it in case anyone showed up, which they didn't. Harry and Ron have done it up throughout the last couple of days to look like their hangout. There's not a soul there, but the Death Eaters don't know that. Relax. All will be fine, I promise."
Hermione nodded once more, still bursting with questions. "Why do you prefer to have Ron on raids with you over Harry?"
"Hermione, I knew you were tenacious, but this is your very last question, alright? You probably won't like the answer to it either. It's war, sometimes it's kill or be killed. If need be, Ron's a lot less scrupulous in his choice of curses than Harry is. That's all I'm saying on the subject tonight now."
Hermione bit her bottom lip as she studied Draco. He put the snitch away in its bag and tossed the whole thing to Ginny, then flicked the television on, signaling an end to their rather surreal conversation.
