Chapter 16

"Pull her in the house, quickly Granger!" Draco snapped, sounding panicked. His eyes were wild and his hands were shaking. And unspoken idea passed between them, that Susan may not have been here alone, and what would they do if a stranger happened upon them with an unconscious Susan? Hermione doubted very much that Draco would be welcome anywhere, unconscious witch at his feet or not.

Hermione hoisted Susan up by her shoulders and dragged her, taking care not to let Susan's butt hit the threshold. Draco Didn't help move her, but Hermione didn't blame him. It would make him look worse to any one who may be in the house, and she could imagine Susan screaming if she opened her eyes to see Draco holding her. Once inside, Draco snapped the door shut, sliding the dead bolt into place. Not that it would make much of a difference to some one possessing magic who may want entrance, but it was a bit soothing to the nerves none-the-less.

"Bloody brilliant," Draco hissed, shaking his head. He began pacing the kitchen, wringing his hands. Hermione stayed on the floor, kneeling over Susan. She was afraid to use magic to rouse her, preferring to only use magic on an emergency basis. What a mess, she thought miserably, smoothing Susan's hair out of her face. Her skin felt clammy.

"What do we do?" Draco asked, closing his eyes in frustration.

"I dunno," Hermione answered. What was there to do? Aparate somewhere else? Things were looking bleak.

Susan's eyes fluttered lightly and Hermione's heart sank. Please don't scream, please don't scream, please don't scream. Hermione chanted internally, throat tightening. Draco stood above her, his tense energy making Hermione feel even more on edge.

Susan's eyes flew open, bolting from Hermione's face to Draco's. "I-Hermione-what!?" She stammered, grabbing Hermione's hand. "Why is he-here, in my house? Hermione?"

"Susan, i'm going to be frank with you. He fed information to the Order for months, was found out, and he's been with me for a few days. He's on the Order's side, and we need help." Hermione said quickly. There wasn't time to break it all down for her, unfortunately, and Hermione wouldn't be sure what would be safe to tell her and what wouldn't, should Susan be found out and interrogated.

"Him?" Susan said in disbelief. They had fought on opposing sides, after all. It had been hard for Hermione to swallow at first, too.

Susan moved to sit up, and Draco and Hermione moved to give her space. Her eyes moved from side to side as she digested the information presented to her. Hermione was relying on the fact that she was Ravenclaw to see the sense in what she had told her.

"Full disclosure, I am being watched by Magical Law enforcement. I do not know how safe you two are here, but I will help you if I can." Susan finally said concisely, voice shaking almost imperceptibly.

"Thank you, Susan. Thank you," Hermione breathed with relief. For the first time in a few days, Hermione allowed her self to feel hope. Maybe things will work out.

"I don't live alone. My husband will be home soon..." Susan began, eyes moving to Draco. "He won't be happy about this..." She trailed off uncertainly, nodding towards Draco.

Draco said nothing. He felt it would be better-safer- to let Hermione navigate these choppy waters.

"I can vouch for him. I'm not asking you to take us in. But we have no where. Headquarters was compromised, including our secret keeper for other head quarters locations. I don't want to go to deeply into details."

"So the Order still exists? We all thought...well we all though the worst. You're never mentioned in the news. Nothing that doesn't coincide with The Ministry's beliefs is published in the prophet. But we were hopeful. He will be so happy to see you," Susan said, smiling.

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"My husband, Seamus," Susan explained, beaming.

"Seamus Finnigan? You guys are married? Wow, congratulations!" Hermione beamed back, grabbing Susan's hand. Hermione was surprised to feel a pang of jealousy. Not at who Susan had married, but the fact that she had been able to. Hermione was beginning to doubt she would ever see Ron alive again, much less be able to marry him. Did you want to marry him, though? A doubtful voice popped into her head. She shook it away quickly, now wasn't the time or the place to dissect whether or not she would commit herself to Ron for the rest of her life.

"Yes, last year. Thank you," Susan said, regaining her composure. "But...I don't know how well you being her will go over with him," Susan said, meeting Draco's gaze.

"I'll talk to him. So much has changed. I have a ton of questions about the Ministry, if you are up for it." Hermione said, already mentally going over what information she was looking for.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from Hermione Granger," Susan responded easily, smiling. "Not to offend you, but, erm, you're covered in dirt..and you smell like you've been sleeping outside? Would you like to take a shower? Or a nap? You look exhausted."

Hermione felt a burning sensation in her eyes. Don't you dare start crying over a shower! She commanded herself. She hadn't taken a shower since the day before Grimmauld Place was attacked, and she had been pining for one almost as hard as she had been pining for a hot meal. "Yes, thank you. You've just made my day," Hermione laughed.

"Erm...Draco..did you want to take one, too?" Susan asked, her tone sounding tight. The words sounded awkward coming out of her mouth, and Hermione had no doubt Susan Bones have never once imagined she would be saying anything like that. I know the feeling, Hermione mentally sympathized. She still found it rather odd, too, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't happy about the change.

Draco only nodded stiffly, looking at the ground. This is the same sullen and withdrawn way he was acting when he got to Grimmauld place. Why? Probably because he knew how despised he was by the entire wizarding community. Death Eaters hated him. Order members loathed him. A wide number of people wouldn't care either way if he died. I suppose I would be withdrawn, too. Having to assume every one you meet hates you. Sounds miserable..

Susan led them up the stairs, where they passed several cheery family pictures. They all made Hermione feel pangs of jealousy, that she hated herself for. She didn't want to have that negative emotion, but she couldn't help it. Susan's home was beautiful, a breath of fresh air compared to Grimmauld Place. Her house was open, and airy, with lots of light wooden furniture and cream colored affects. Hermione didn't know if she would ever be able to own a home, or hang family pictures up. At the top of the stairs was a wedding photo, Showing a teary eyed Susan Holding Seamus's hands. They both looked good, swathed in nice clothes, teary eyed as they exchanged vows. It was a beautiful picture and Hermione's heart hurt to think she would never have the same. Stop being jealous! Susan is helping you. It's not her fault. Be happy for you friend you miserable git! She berated her self. That's not the kind of person she wanted to be

Draco had walked up the stairs as close to Hermione as possible. She supposed it was because this new environment put him on edge, or he was afraid of Seamus coming home and cursing him before Susan had a chance to explain what was going on. Either way, Hermione found it some how comforting. If they were to come under attack, they would have each others back's quickly, covering each others blind spots.

"This is the guest room, and this is the guest bathroom. Towels are here and can I bring you some clothes? I can throw these in the wash for you." Susan asked Hermione, before turning to Draco, her voice becoming still again. "I don't want to offer you any of Seamus clothes without his permission.." She trailed off.

"That's ok," Draco said tonelessly, not making eye contact. Hermione wondered if Draco was used to being detested, or if it was a new hurt every time. She thought back to Neville's treatment of him when he first arrived at Grimmauld Place and cringed. But what can you expect? You made your bed and I suppose you have to lie in it.

"You can wait in here while Hermione showers, and than you can shower," Susan said, pointing into the guest room before walking into her room, presumably to grab Hermione some fresh clothes.

Hermione walked into the guest bathroom and was over joyed to see a bathtub. I can take a bath! and than quickly realized, with dismay, that taking a bath was a leisure that they didn't have time for. Draco would want to shower, too, and Seamus would be home at some point and Hermione would need to speak with him immediately. With a sign, she disrobed and stepped into the shower, turning the water as hot as possible.

The bathroom quickly filled up with steam, and the heat eased some of Hermione's tense muscles. She started shampooing her hair, shivering at how good it felt. She relaxed and allowed her mind to clear as she methodically scrubbed her skin free of all the dirt and grime that had accumulated. She flinched as she washed her face and callously pressed her hand over her black eye. She had completely forgot she had one, it was so common for her to be injured these days.

I hope I can convince Seamus of Draco's loyalty or we're utterly fucked. She thought contemplatively, picturing the headstrong griffyndor she remembered from her Hogwarts days. He loathed him even before it was discovered that he was a death eater.