8.

AN EMPTY CASTLE

Several days passed while Hermione slowly recovered. Headmistress McGonagall, Professor Gournie and Theo visited her frequently, sometimes more than once a day. Theo would spend hours with her, either conversing about their lives, discussing books they'd read or playing Wizard's Chess, his favourite game. She lost every time, but she enjoyed his company nonetheless.

Because nothing was going on, and because for the first time in her life she didn't feel like her low energy would permit her to revise for exams, she settled for the books Theo brought her. She managed to read them whenever she wasn't sleeping. But when she couldn't even concentrate on that, what she enjoyed the most was talking to him, and the more she did, the more she sympathised with his situation.

Theo's mother died when he was very young and while his father was in Azkaban, all their assets were frozen as Theo was still in school. He didn't have anywhere else to go during the holidays, which made him feel even lonelier. In years past, he'd been a guest in Malfoy Manor or at the Zabini's, but with the state of things and with Draco here, he didn't have another option but to stay at Hogwarts. He didn't mind the emptiness of it, but he got bored easily, hence why he was Hermione's most frequent visitor.

She almost wondered what it would be like if Draco wasn't in the picture, but Theo was adamant that while he was "mostly" attracted to boys, the only girl he ever felt infatuation for was Daphne Greengrass since they'd grown up together.

"She'd probably be my betrothed if it wasn't for my father," he'd told her. When he saw Hermione's blanched expression, he clarified, "Pureblood families arrange marriages, Granger, keep up."

She didn't know why she hadn't thought of it, but it made sense. Since full pureblood lineages were slowly disappearing, they had to ensure their survival somehow. She thought of Draco. Had the Malfoys arranged for him to marry a pureblood girl? Astoria came to mind, but she seemed to have given him up last time they talked. Maybe Pansy Parkinson was a candidate and that's why she'd been abnormally hostile?

"I can see your gears turning," Theo said. "Draco wasn't betrothed to anyone as far as I know, but I doubt any decent family would try to snatch him right now. Taking the Dark Mark didn't make him the ideal bachelor, as much as Lucius tried…And being a bigoted pureblood went out of fashion as soon as Voldemort turned to dust."

The sense of relief she felt snuck up on her. She'd nearly started thinking that she'd have to fight off Pansy Parkinson dressed in a bridal dress, ready to take her promised husband at the altar and have his pureblood babies.

"By the way," Theo interrupted her train of thought. "I have to add that I don't like Daphne because she's a pureblood."

"I believe you," Hermione said.

"And our marriage might not have been arranged because of my disgusting father, but her family also knows me and, weirdly enough, they're okay with their daughters choosing for themselves."

These words gave Hermione hope that maybe the wizarding world could eventually become progressive enough and be open to inclusion.

"That's reassuring," she said and he winked at her.

Madam Pomfrey gave her fewer painkillers every day, so Hermione felt less and less groggy each time. By the following Wednesday, she'd started sitting up and even paced the ward for almost an hour before she felt tired. The skin in her shoulder felt tight, but her wounds had finally closed into bright pink marks.

That day, Theo brought her lunch from the Great Hall so she could taste something that wasn't soup or vegetable puree. She'd complained before that her shoulder had been sliced, not her stomach, but Madam Pomfrey had graciously reminded her that the potions she was taking were aggressive enough to affect it, even if it didn't maim her appetite.

"Thank Merlin," Hermione said, moaning around a bite of gloriously solid food.

Theo looked at her bemused. "If I'd known that was the quickest way to get you to make those sounds…"

Hermione choked a little at his words, flushing furiously, and he laughed. He sat in his usual spot on the chair next to her bed as she sat facing him cross-legged with a tray on her lap.

When she reached for the glass of water on her bedside table, Theo's eyes fixed on a rolled piece of parchment next to it. He moved to grab it but looked at her before opening it, silently asking permission to read it. She nodded before digging into her lunch again. He scanned the name at the bottom and hummed in acknowledgement.

"Dearest Hermione," he read. "Laying it on thick right at the start, very smooth—I just came back from visiting Charlie in Romania—he's well-travelled, nice—to learn news about your accident a few days ago. Needless to say, I'd be there right now if it hadn't been for Ginny, Harry and George reigning me back—that's a big word, good job, also took three people to stop him, strong!—from coming to beat down Malfoy—a bit aggressive...—I asked McGonagall to let me visit, but she refused! She says you're "doing just fine" and not to worry. Hermione, please be careful. I wish you'd come for the holidays—And now I know why she didn't—because I haven't seen you in so long. Charlie says hello and the rest of the family send their best wishes. Get well soon. Yours, Ron."

Hermione had snorted at a few of his comments and laughed at Theo's dramatic sigh at the end of the letter. It felt good to laugh, even if she felt guilty that it was at Ron's expense.

"You broke this bloke's heart, didn't you?" Theo asked teasingly. "Can I write him an answer for you?"

"You can," Hermione muttered. "Doesn't mean I'll send it."

"You don't trust me by now, Dearest Hermione?"

She rolled her eyes in response. Theo conjured a quill and inkpot, along with a piece of new parchment, and started writing after clearing his throat.

"My dear Ronald," he began reciting.

"That's really bad," Hermione interrupted.

"Dear Ron," he corrected and looked up at her with a raised eyebrow before he continued, "Harry might have forgotten some of the details of my unfortunate accident because Draco wasn't entirely at fault for this. I'm glad—Okay, no—I agree with Professor McGonagall refusing your visit because I am doing fine. My new friend Theo has been nursing me back to health—"

"Theo!"

"Ugh, fine," Theo said and continued writing, "Here's what's up, I actually like Draco Malfoy better than you, so—Hey!"

Hermione had thrown her napkin at his face, which startled him and made him elbow the inkpot on the table next to him. The dark ink fell on his lap, ruining his letter, his trousers and staining the floor.

"Look what you've done, woman," he protested.

"You can Scourgify it," Hermione said laughing. "I'll be the one writing that letter."

Theo sighed in disappointment, drew out his wand and cleaned up the mess. Hermione set her tray on the bed next to her and watched him with a smile on her face. Somehow, he'd slithered his way into her heart and became someone she considered her friend. She greatly appreciated his presence during her hospital-ridden days and promised herself to repay him somehow.

The door to Madam Pomfrey's office opened and she approached the bed with a scornful expression.

"Ah, thank you," Theo said with a sigh while sitting back on the chair. "You need to restrain her, she's violent."

"That's curious because I never hear any ruckus unless you're here, Mr Nott," Madam Pomfrey said and he grinned charmingly. "I wouldn't restrain Miss Granger. In fact, I came to do just the opposite."

Madam Pomfrey moved in front of Theo, blocking his view, and examined Hermione's shoulder, moving her arm up and down, backwards and forwards. Hermione's heart rate went up as she registered the Healer's words.

"Are you releasing her today?" Theo asked behind Madam Pomfrey's back. He sounded just as hopeful as Hermione felt.

"Not today," Madam Pomfrey responded and both friends deflated. "But tomorrow, if she spends the night well enough."

"Thank you," Hermione said, feeling relieved.

Madam Pomfrey finished the examination and patted Hermione on her good shoulder. "It's Christmas Eve tomorrow. I wouldn't want to keep you here during the holidays if not strictly necessary, dear."

Hermione nodded and the Healer left after reminding her to rest, pointedly fixing a glare at Theo. He was grinning at Hermione and she thought he looked so much younger like that. She could tell he was happy that she'd been given the all-clear, probably because it meant he wouldn't have to come back either.

"Finally," he said. "I'll have to tell the idiot that he doesn't have to actually make an appearance here after all."

Hermione's face fell. She'd tried to compartmentalise the fact that Draco hadn't visited her all these days, to lock away the disappointment and ignore it, but she couldn't help but want to see him. She knew that he still cared because he asked Theo about her progress, and several of the books Theo had brought from the library had been recommended by Draco. But he felt guilty that she'd ended up in the hospital in the first place and he'd told his friend he didn't want to cause her any more pain or be the reason she fought with her best friends.

"I'm trying, Hermione," Theo told her. "I've been insisting that he should talk to you, at least see you, but he doesn't think it's a good idea."

"I'll track him down when I get out of here," she promised.

"Good luck," Theo said. "He's either doing work in a corner of the common room, meeting the Professors or holed up in the dorm."

"Well, has the password changed?" she asked defiantly and he smirked at her with a glint of mischievousness in his eyes.

"I like how you think," he answered. "You have some Slytherin in you, I see."

· - ·

Bellatrix' face was right in front of her, showing her crooked teeth and cackling loudly. They were in a dark void. There was a light right over them, casting menacing shadows in the face of the witch in front of her. She felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder and looked down to find the other witch pointing her wand to it. Hermione's right arm was glued to her side and unresponsive as though it'd been restrained.

"Stupid Mudblood," Bellatrix whispered, enunciating every syllable before shouting an ear-piercing, "Crucio!"

Hermione braced herself. The stinging in her shoulder intensified, but it wasn't unbearable. She'd felt the excruciating pain of that curse before, but this time it was different. Hermione narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Very slowly but deliberately, she pulled Bellatrix' wand from her hand and threw it to the side. Bellatrix snarled at her but stayed put. Hermione didn't hear any sound as though the wand never hit the floor. She felt convinced in her mind that she had control like she'd never had before.

She could smell something familiar, an earthy scent that gave her comfort, but she couldn't identify it.

Bellatrix smiled, showing her ugly teeth. Hermione was still in control. She didn't know how she knew it, but she did. She put her hand on the centre of Bellatrix' chest, right in between her clavicle. The witch's face morphed from teasing delight to surprise, then to fury, but Hermione felt her magic crackling down her arm as she pushed experimentally. She felt Bellatrix' body suddenly petrified. She pushed her once more and Bellatrix floated away without a sound.

"It's a dream," Hermione whispered to herself.

She woke up as she said it, her words sounding in her ears. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness and she noticed she was in her hospital bed. She was glad she hadn't experienced one of her worst nightmares or else she might not have been able to leave.

Her shoulder didn't hurt as much anymore, but she could feel a remnant of the stinging pains she frequently had. Her other arm still felt trapped, though. She looked down to her right and gasped. There, with his forearm around hers and her hand in his was Draco Malfoy. He was sitting in Theo's chair in an uncomfortable-looking position, with his head next to her good shoulder on the bed.

Feeling suddenly emotional, tears threatened to fall from her eyes and she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She couldn't see his face, but even in the dark, she could recognise his white-blond, now too-long and messy, hair. She raised her left arm, feeling the tightness in her shoulder, and hesitated for a second before bringing down her hand and brushing his hair back. She was no longer able to resist the surge of affection in her heart.

She did that for a few minutes before he let out a little snore and tensed up. She kept gently brushing his hair until he relaxed again, but she knew he hadn't fallen back asleep.

"Hey," she whispered.

Very slowly, he turned his head to look at her and she kept her hand on the back of his neck.

"Hey," Draco whispered back. She squeezed his hand and regretted it immediately as when it caught his attention he pulled back, moving to rest it on his chair. He stretched his back, which must have been killing him from the weird position he'd been holding.

"How did you get in?" she asked, scrambling to engage him in conversation. She grabbed her wand from her bedside table and conjured her characteristic blue flames in an empty jar of sweets Professor Gournie had brought her.

"A simple Alohomora did the trick the first time," he explained looking down at his lap. "There's no strict security here, apparently."

"First time?" she asked as she pulled herself to sit up.

"Madam Pomfrey caught me here a few days ago," he said. "Then McGonagall put up further protections, but…" He shrugged.

She scoffed incredulously at the knowledge that he'd been there to see her at night in secret more than once. In the faint blue light, she could see Draco's gaunt, pale face she recognised from the days he'd not been taking care of himself.

"You need to stop torturing yourself, Draco." The sound of his first name caused him to look up. "Theo says you've been running yourself ragged, again, and I can see it."

"I know how to fix the room," he said suddenly, disregarding her words.

"What?"

"I think I figured it out."

"How—"

"We just need a bit more luck," he rushed to say. "I offered Professor Slughorn to exchange a few of the frozen eggs for some of his Liquid Luck Potion, but he said he didn't have any. We won't be able to have any for about three more months."

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows as the information sank in. "You want us to take Felix Felicis?"

"And fly," he added nodding.

She thought about it and it dawned on her. "Oh, that's how we escaped, of course!" Why hadn't it occurred to them before?

"Yes," he said nodding. "The eggs at the back for sure ignite first, so we'll need to be fast, but if we all drink the potion, there's no way we can fail."

"Right," she said. "But three months…? Doesn't it take six for it to stew? Was Slughorn already making some? I thought he very rarely took it."

She saw a bit of colour rise to Draco's ears and he looked down sheepishly. "I started brewing after I first got into the room in September."

"You did?"

He sighed deeply. "I thought it'd be nice to have a full day where everything went okay."

"Draco," she whispered and offered her hand, the one he'd been holding earlier. He looked at it and after a few seconds, he took it, closing his eyes and exhaling deeply. He seemed exhausted.

When he opened his eyes, they were glassy. He bent down and very softly kissed her forehead. "I like you saying my name," he whispered against her skin.

"I like saying it," she whispered back with a small smile. "Why didn't you ever come to see me during the day?"

He pulled back and looked her in the eye. She saw the darkness under his eyes and thought of him exhausting himself working, researching and ruminating about whatever Professors McGonagall and Gournie threw at him. Even so, she still thought that she deserved a visit when she knew he was around. She'd only caught him now because she hadn't taken a Sleeping Draught potion tonight. Hence why she'd had that strange dream, as well.

"I didn't think you'd want to," he said and before she could respond, he continued, "Then Theo said you did and I felt even worse. I'm the reason you're here."

"You could have been hurt a lot worse than me, I wasn't going to—"

"I'm sorry, Hermione," he said, shaking his head and she stopped speaking. "I'm sorry about everything, how I treated you growing up, how you got hurt, how you'll probably be criticised… I didn't want to show up here to see the resentment in your eyes."

"I'm obviously not chuffed that it happened and, at some point, I'll need to have a serious chat with Harry," she began earnestly, "but I'm not going to give you up at the first sign of resistance from my friends.

"Didn't Theo tell you I forgave you days ago? Because I did," she said squeezing his hand. "We're pushing through, remember?"

Draco looked at her in wonder and nodded slowly.

"Good," she said. "Go get some proper sleep and I'll see you tomorrow out of here."

He flashed her a small smile and kissed her hand before standing up. "I have the rest of the week off," he told her, smirking. "Your new best friend Theo has been pestering me to get outside."

Hermione chuckled. "We don't have that many options for entertainment."

"Oh, I think now we do," he said, pointing at the windows behind her.

His boyish grin made her heart give a tumble in her chest. She turned her head and saw small fluffy specks of white snow falling against the dark sky.

· - ·

Bright and early the next day, Hermione was finally released from the hospital, bringing along a jar of ointment for her still-taught skin. When she arrived at the bottom of the marble staircase, Theo and Draco were talking quietly, waiting for her.

She smiled at them when they spotted her. It looked like Draco was well-rested this time and Theo surprised her with a gentle hug. He was dressed casually in warm clothes while Draco sported a dark jumper with a grey shirt underneath and black trousers, almost looking like he was wearing the school uniform.

She'd found some of her own clothes next to her bed that morning, and the mismatched bright jumper with horizontal lines and khaki trousers made her think an elf had something to do with it. She'd had to run up to her dorm to change into jeans and boots. She also told herself she ought to visit the kitchens to see how Winky the elf was doing.

"Welcome back, M'Lady," Theo said before leading them into the Great Hall for breakfast.

Draco put his hand on her lower back as they walked. That little contact reassured her and sent a chill up her spine.

Hermione had seen the Christmas decorations after they had been put up the week before, but the empty expanse of the Great Hall shook her a little. Much like the last time she'd stayed for the holidays while most students were back home, all four of the long House tables had been removed and replaced by a single smaller one. Five other younger students had already begun eating their breakfast along with Professor McGonagall, Gournie and Hagrid, who'd also abandoned their seats at the staff table to share meals with the students.

What little conversation there was, it stopped when the door opened and the two Slytherins entered the room with Hermione in tow.

"Hermione!" Hagrid exclaimed after swallowing a whole piece of toast. "Welcome back, come sit 'ere."

There was a large empty space in the bench next to him, the kids at the end of the table seemingly afraid of sitting next to Hagrid. She gladly took a seat, pulling Draco next to her—pointedly ignoring everybody else's stares and Hagrid's narrowed eyes directed towards Draco—and Theo chose to sit in front of them, next to Professor Gournie. McGonagall was left presiding over the table.

Hermione only recognised one face amongst the other students, but she didn't remember her name. It was something kind of exotic, she knew. She was the only other first-year to be sorted in Slytherin. The girl's high cheekbones, thin eyes and dark skin reminded Hermione of Blaise, but her face was rounder and youthful. However, this girl had a sadness in her that transpired with her little sighs every few minutes, as though it was a great effort to spend time in such close quarters to the rest. Now that she thought about it, Hermione couldn't remember ever seeing the girl at all and wondered whether she'd simply slipped under her radar or if there was something else.

Draco squeezed her knee under the table and brought Hermione back to the present. She realized that she'd been staring at this poor, extremely shy girl. She gave him a grateful smile and started filling her plate.

After a pleasant meal, where Theo quickly directed the conversation away from her accident and recovery, Hermione, Draco and Theo decided to go fetch their coats and meet back at the entrance doors before heading outside. Minutes later, clad under a woolly hat and gloves, she led them down onto the snowy grounds, smiling widely.

Theo breathed deeply with a long exhale, thanking Merlin for fresh Scottish air before a thick snowball landed on his stomach. Hermione let out a girly giggle seeing his comically-astonished face.

"Who was it?" Theo asked with narrowed eyes and focusing on Draco, who had his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "You're going to get it!"

A snowball fight ensued, much to Draco's chagrin as he defended himself saying he hadn't thrown the first one, and eventually they were all attacking each other—being mindful of Hermione's shoulder. At one point, she and Theo teamed up against Draco, further ruining his polished clothes, and she fully enjoyed watching his playfully evil side come out.

"I see how it is," Draco said, stalking menacingly towards her as Theo retreated. Draco proved he was much quicker and better at nonverbal spells, having showered them with a ring of snow. "He brings you books, so you like him more now, don't you?"

Hermione laughed while walking backwards. When he was very close, she tripped and almost fell backwards if not for him wrapping his arm around her back. His grey eyes were slightly narrowed and intense, and she had a fleeting thought that the light reflecting in the snow probably bothered him the most. Then she imagined him wearing Muggle sunglasses, thinking he'd look good in them.

Her hands automatically rested on his chest and he pulled her closer. She wet her dry lips in anticipation, but he hesitated for some reason, so she took the reins at that moment. She raised herself on tiptoes and kissed him squarely on the mouth. He kissed her back as she smiled, but with an intent she'd only hoped for. Her hands snaked up to the back of his neck and into his hair, feeling it soft and wet from the melting snow.

Draco pulled apart to breathe. "I've wanted to do that for days," he declared whispering.

They stayed wrapped up and kissing for what felt like a long time until the whistling and catcalls nearby reminded them that Theo was around.

"Hey, just to warn you," he called. "I'm about to join in if you don't stop because I'm freezing my arse here."

"Fancy some hot chocolate?" Hermione asked Draco and, with a smile, they walked hand-in-hand back to the castle.

· - ·

After drying off their clothes and visiting the kitchens, where only a dozen elves were currently working—but with no sign of Winky—they marched back up the stairs with their mugs of hot chocolate. Thinking of a place to go, considering they didn't share common rooms, but knowing the corridors would be deserted, Hermione suggested they try going into the Room of Requirement. They'd had difficulty pinpointing the timing for the room to be used, as the Room of Hidden Things clashed with it, but this time they were successful.

Hermione asked for a similar configuration to the Gryffindor common room. She imagined cosiness and a few green and silver decorations for familiarity, and thus they spent the rest of the morning warming up in front of a fire, sitting in the most comfortable armchairs. The room offered a library, which Hermione put to good use. Meanwhile, the boys played Wizard's Chess and Exploding Snap while sipping their hot beverages. When they returned from lunch, Draco pulled Hermione to sit on his lap and they read together as Theo fell asleep on a new sofa. It was the most content she'd felt in quite a long time and, looking at Draco as he read aloud, she couldn't believe this was her life now. Once in a while, she interrupted his reading just to kiss his cheek or lips, and every time she did it, he squeezed her waist with a smile and resumed reading the paragraph from the beginning.

Later that afternoon, they left Theo taking his nap while they walked around, relishing in the silence of the castle. During sunset, Draco clutched her hand as he led her through the Entrance Hall and into a dimly lit corridor. The pair tentatively walked up the Astronomy Tower's spiral staircase. Hermione noticed Draco breathing heavily, seemingly emotional, but also determined to climb the stairs up to the top. She tried to imagine what he saw when they reached the open space. He kept in contact with her the whole time, as though she was an anchor, either clutching one of her hands in both of his or having her wrap her arms from behind him while facing the sinking sun. They didn't talk the whole time and she felt like they didn't have to. When he gripped the handrail, she leaned her head against his shaking back, and she knew how he felt. She'd felt survivor's guilt before, but she sensed it was especially strong in him at that moment because of what had transpired almost two years ago in that exact location.

As the fading light enveloped them, the cold did as well, and Draco cast a warming charm before they moved back down the tower. But he only included her, because of course he was still torturing himself, not even permitting himself to feel warmer in that place.

As they walked together back to the seventh floor to find Theo, she stopped to visit the restroom and give him some space to gather his emotions. She used the bathroom and was washing her hands when someone opened the door and came in. At first, she didn't think much of it, but then she turned to see the young Slytherin girl standing in front of the door, looking impassive. Hermione hated that once again she was being cornered by a Slytherin in a bathroom, but decided to not show hostility. This girl was so tiny, Hermione assumed she could easily overpower her.

"Why are you dating him?" the girl asked.

"I'm sorry?" Hermione responded. The genuine curiosity in the girl's eyes startled her.

"Draco Malfoy," the girls specified. "I saw you kissing outside earlier."

"Oh."

Hermione had to wonder, where was this line of questioning going and what was the right thing to answer? On the one hand, she didn't appreciate the invasion of privacy, but on the other, she wasn't ashamed of what she felt towards Draco. She knew why she met with him, why she kissed him but…were they dating? They'd never had that conversation explicitly. They hadn't had traditional dates or showed their affections in public except for the one kiss that morning when they thought nobody except Theo was around. If she outed them to this girl, would the whole school know by January? She seemed like a loner, but then why was she asking this blunt question?

"Why?" the girl pressed.

Why? Why was she dating Draco, if even that's what they were doing?

"Because I like him," she decided. "We like each other."

"You like that he's a pureblood purist?" the girl gritted out.

"He's changed," Hermione defended, then added, "He's trying to be better."

"How do you know he's changed, because he told you?"

"No," Hermione said indignantly. "I've seen it. I see it every day."

The girl narrowed her eyes unconvinced, but her initial bravado seemed to deflate. Hermione let the silence take over as she watched the girl think about what she'd told her.

"What's your name?" Hermione asked.

The girl hesitated before responding, "Wanda Canard."

"Nice to meet you, Wanda. I'm Hermione," she said, extending her hand. The girl's shoulders sagged and she shook Hermione's offered hand blushing slightly.

"I know," Wanda said quietly.

Hermione nodded after breaking down the girl's barriers somewhat, hopefully having taught her a lesson in how to approach a conversation. Wanda moved aside from the door and as Hermione passed by she said, "I won't tell anyone, by the way. It's your business."

"Thank you," Hermione answered looking back with a grateful smile. She and Draco still hadn't defined their relationship, so she was glad that they wouldn't be outed before they had a chance to do it.

· - ·

Minutes later, when Draco and Hermione met with Theo down the corridor from the Room of Requirement, their friend appeared agitated.

"Where the fuck did you guys go?" he asked accusingly with narrowed eyes.

"We walked around for a bit," Hermione said and noticed Theo seemed shaken up.

"You left me asleep in there alone," he said, talking even faster than usual, "and I woke up to a girl looking at me from a portrait."

"A girl?" Draco asked confused, but Hermione's eyes widened.

"What did she look like?" she asked.

"She's…beautiful," Theo said. "She was wearing a blue dress, with long hair, kind eyes—"

"Oh my God!" Hermione exclaimed and ran up to the door of the room, which appeared slowly before them.

"You conjured a portrait of a pretty girl for Theo?" Draco asked Hermione even more confused.

"Pretty?" Theo asked with an offended tone. "She's fucking gorgeous."

"Shut up, she's fourteen!" Hermione admonished as she pushed the door open.

"I didn't say I'd marry the portrait, did I?" Theo protested. "I can objectively appreciate beauty."

As they entered the room, the extinguished fire from the fireplace roared back to life. There, up near the ceiling at the back of the room was a big frame with a gloomy-looking landscape. But there was nobody in it.

"Where did she go?" Theo asked.

"Hello?" Hermione called. "Ariana?"

"Ariana?" Theo whispered at Draco, who merely shrugged.

Soon, they saw a figure approaching the canvas. A girl in a blue dress, with long hair and kind blue eyes, just as Theo had described, arrived at the forefront.

"Hi, I'm Theo," he said with a smile.

"Ariana," Hermione said, catching the girl's attention. "Remember me, Hermione Granger? I met you back in May, with Harry Potter and a redhead boy?"

Theo snorted. "A redhead with a forgettable name, too," he said under his breath and Draco smirked as Hermione scowled at them.

"Friend of Neville's?" she tried again. The girl nodded finally and Hermione smiled triumphantly. "Is it still open on the other end?" Hermione asked and the girl nodded again. Hermione gasped.

"What is going on?" Draco asked. "What's still opened?"

"If the eggs ignite from the back, maybe…" Hermione muttered and after a few seconds deep in thought, she looked up at the thoroughly confused Slytherins. "Did you ever find out how Harry got back into Hogwarts and how we got the younger students out?"

"No, not really," Theo said, shrugging as though he didn't really care to know the answer.

"How did Potter do anything?" Draco asked with sarcasm and disdain. "With the help of somebody."

"Exactly!" Hermione said smiling and Draco scowled at her cheerful disposition, considering she'd brought up his least favourite topic: Harry Potter. "Well, long story short, we came in through there."

She pointed at the portrait. After a few moments of silence, Theo burst out laughing and he didn't stop until he noticed none of the other two were laughing with him.

"Oh," he said, sobering up. "It's not a joke?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "Of course not," she said and addressed Ariana, "Would you mind opening it just so they stop thinking I'm mental?"

Ariana smiled kindly and sure enough, the portrait swung open to reveal a small dark passageway with stairs continuing upwards.

"Holy—" Theo said stunned.

"Where does that lead to?" Draco asked. "Who's this girl?"

"That's a longer story for another time," Hermione. "But you know what this means, right?"

"Right," Theo said automatically before snapping out of his stupor as the portrait closed once again. "No, what?"

Hermione sighed. "If we can access the Room of Hidden Things through there," she said pointing at the portrait. "Then we can tackle the eggs at the back before they ignite!"

"Merlin, you're right!" Theo exclaimed and patted Draco on his shoulder. "You've got to hold on to this one, mate."

Hermione blushed and shook her head a little. Draco moved in front of her and put his hands on her cheeks. "If we combine the portrait at the back of the room, the potion and the brooms, we'll be all set," he whispered and she nodded slowly.

He kissed her chastely on her lips and grinned, his silver eyes shining with relief and elation. They had a solid plan of attack now, it couldn't fail.

"They do this a lot lately," they heard Theo say behind them and Hermione snorted when she saw he was addressing Ariana.

"Thank you, Ariana," she said with a wave. "We'll see you soon."

Ariana walked away and left the portrait to stand back at her original canvas. Hermione sighed thinking she'd now need to convince someone less inclined to be disturbed.

· - ·

A/N. If Ron actually writing a letter doesn't mean he cares, I don't know what does, Lol.

Theo is an absolute treasure, isn't he? AurorEowyn and Girl of Chaos too! :3

Holy crap, last week you guys were mad! Your disappointment was mostly directed at Harry, but I hope you're still with me. There are great things to come... And by the way, how do you find other stories? How did you find this one? Thanks for reading!