12.
HOUSE POINTS
"What the fuck, mate?" Theo said. "Did you give us a dud potion?"
That was Hermione's first thought as well, but while the minimal dose would last just a few hours, she could still feel its effects and she was convinced their current situation fell in the realm of possibilities in which their goals would be met.
"That would be ten points from Slytherin for the language, Mr Nott," McGonagall chastised.
She looked at each of them with a hard face, but Hermione thought she regarded her especially with disappointment. It wasn't the first time she'd been caught after curfew roaming about the castle and getting into trouble, but this time it felt different. Not only was Hermione under the influence of a potion which guaranteed her pure luck, but she didn't feel like she'd been doing anything wrong.
"Miss Parkinson, please escort Miss Canard and Mr Higgs back to the dungeons," McGonagall ordered.
"Professor, I can tell you what I heard," Pansy said desperately. "Astoria stumps like a dragon, I followed them out to this secret staircase."
"Excuse you!" Astoria protested.
"That will be enough, Miss Parkinson," McGonagall insisted with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Off you go, kids."
Hermione didn't fear that the first-years would be in trouble because they could easily defend themselves by saying they'd been dragged into the whole plan. Begrudgingly, Pansy left with Wanda and Roman in tow.
"I believe you all know where we're going next?" McGonagall said and they all started walking down the corridor, following her in silence.
As they descended the stairs towards the third floor, they all looked at each other. There was some confusion in their eyes, but overall, none of them seemed to regret getting caught. Rolf and Luna held hands, Theo winked at Ginny and Draco smirked at Hermione. She smiled at him, stalling a bit so they'd walked in the rear of the group.
"You okay?" he whispered and she nodded. "Doesn't feel like a bad thing, does it?"
She shook her head and bumped her shoulder into his. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him once and letting go.
Minutes later, they walked up to the Headmistress' office, resting their brooms in a corner one by one until they were all standing in a line in front of her. Professor McGonagall shifted the small square spectacles on her nose with a long sigh. Hermione had seen the woman truly angry before and right then, she didn't look like she was. If anything, she seemed more frustrated about having been woken up at four in the morning. Hermione raised her hand to speak first as she felt responsible for bringing this group together in the first place.
"Professor, I can explain everything," she began, but McGonagall cut her off.
"Yes, Miss Granger, I don't doubt that," she said in a monotone voice. "You and your friends, whoever they may be at the time, have always found excuses for breaking the rules."
The older woman started pacing back and forth. Hermione knew to keep quiet and let her think. She looked up at the constellation of past headmasters' portraits, who all appeared to be sleeping, even though she knew most of them were just pretending. Dumbledore was still missing from his frame.
"Mr Malfoy," McGonagall finally called, fixing him with a stare. "Are you aware of how many people, including me, have vouched for you these past months so you could come back and finish your education?"
"Yes, Professor," he answered right away, impassive.
"And what could possibly be worth risking that trust? What would make you organise a small army to walk around this very castle, which has seen many horrors in the past thanks to yourself, doing Merlin knows what?" McGonagall's tone had started to come up in volume and, for the first time, maybe even become spiteful.
"The Room of Hidden Things," Theo burst aloud and McGonagall raised her gaze to his in confusion.
"The Roo—The what?"
"It's one of the forms of the Room of Requirement, Minerva," a voice spoke from the wall behind the desk. Several people in the group gasped and Hermione smiled, looking up. "So I see you have all found it."
Albus Dumbledore's portrait appeared complete again, with a very gentle-looking former Headmaster. Dumbledore was smiling in satisfaction like he always did when something had gone his way and McGonagall turned to watch him closely.
"We've fixed it," Hermione clarified. "The Room of Hidden Things was destroyed during the Final Battle from a Fyendfire curse. Draco set out to recover it when he came back, I offered to help and we brought everybody else in when we realised we couldn't do it by ourselves. Wanda and Roman shouldn't have been there; I apologise for that. She's very powerful."
Hermione took a breath, not knowing exactly where that had come from, especially the last sentence.
"Merlin's beard, Granger, a Fyendfire curse?" McGonagall asked incredulously. "Do you know the danger you've put yourselves in."
"We've fought worse, honestly," Ginny said and Blaise snorted.
"I'm glad you find all this amusing, Miss Weasley," McGonagall scolded her. "I'll certainly be glad to lose sight of most of you next year."
"How long did it take, if I may ask?" Dumbledore cut in.
"We've been planning all year, Sir," Draco responded. "It took us about an hour."
"Don't feel so proud of yourselves just yet, Mr Malfoy," McGonagall said and exhaled heavily, rubbing her temples. "You'll come with me tomorrow to see this room and I'll be deciding on what to do with you all after I talk to your Heads of House. Now, go directly to your dorms. All brooms will be confiscated for now."
· - ·
Breakfast was a quiet affair mere hours later. When the Felix Felicis potion wore out, Hermione's anxiety came back with a force. Ginny told her over and over again that McGonagall finding out about the room after it had been fixed was supposed to happen and the whole situation would have a good outcome in the end, somehow. Otherwise, they wouldn't have felt the impulse to leave when they did. Hermione knew that to be true, but for some reason, her brain fogged up thinking what would happen if the Headmistress decided something drastic, like refusing to let them take their N.E.W.T.s. The redhead was only lamenting having lost her broom. Adding to her worry was Draco, whose name tag she saw on the Map leaving the dungeons towards McGonagall's office before eight.
The worst part about her day, for once, was the fact that it was packed with double classes, but she was feeling exhausted. It was the end of term before the Easter holidays began and it meant that there would be lots of studying in her immediate future with her exams fast approaching—if McGonagall didn't ban her from attending.
She didn't see Draco until Potions class after lunch and he looked just as tired as the rest of their group.
"Have you eaten anything today?" she asked him as she took a seat in front of his.
He put his head on his arms over the table between them. "Not much," he mumbled. "McGonagall only had tea and porridge to offer this morning. I hate porridge and she wouldn't even let me get proper caffeine. What a mean woman. I slept through lunch."
The way he pouted and whined made her laugh and she patted his head like a puppy. "How did it go?"
He looked up from under his lashes at her. "I think it went well?"
"Is that a question?" she said, raising one eyebrow.
"I dunno," he said with uncertainty. "She said she'd never seen the Room of Requirement and didn't even know it existed. So I had to explain it to her, everything from the beginning, and Dumbledore was backing me up by the end…It was weird."
"She didn't know about it? How?" Hermione wondered, confused. "Did she miss the whole Dumbledore's Army clandestine meetings thing? Umbridge knew. You all knew."
"I guess the old hag never bothered telling her colleagues anything."
"Hmm. It is weird."
"Attention, class," Professor Slughorn said in a booming voice as he entered the classroom. "Today we're going to be revising the Wolfsbane Potion."
Hermione heard Draco groan behind her.
Over two hours later, Hermione couldn't wait for the day to be over. She was daydreaming about going back to Gryffindor Tower and burying herself in her bed until the next morning. Her plan was thwarted, however, when Slughorn asked all Slug Club members in his class to stay behind. He didn't seem very happy to be announcing it, either.
"Ugh. What now?" Theo asked as he stood next to Hermione and she shrugged.
As students began to file out, others started to come in. First Rolf and Luna followed by Filius Flitwick, their Head of House, then Ginny.
"Hey," she said, sitting next to Hermione. "What's happening?"
"Take a seat, everyone," Professor Flitwick ordered. "Headmistress McGonagall will be here in a moment to speak with us all."
All students exchanged looks, no longer as confident as they were previously with the potion in their systems. Hermione looked back at Draco, who had his chin propped on his hands. She couldn't read his expression, but he didn't seem too worried.
"You know," Slughorn whispered furiously close to them, "when I organised the new Slug Club I didn't mean for you all to get me into trouble. I thought the Felix Felicis was being made for academic purposes, but you better hope it worked!"
Pansy entered the classroom, then, choosing to stand near the back. A moment later, Professor McGonagall walked in and everything went silent. You could have heard a pin drop. She strutted towards the desk upfront and graciously climbed the platform underneath it, standing taller than ever.
"Good afternoon, everyone," she began in a smooth tone, raking through all the faces in front of her. "As you all know by now, at four o'clock this morning, it came to my attention that several students present here were out of bed and roaming the corridors. To my surprise, I was brought by Miss Parkinson to a hidden staircase connecting the dungeons and the seventh floor, but I only found this group of people when they were returning from somewhere else."
Professor McGonagall spoke slowly and deliberately the same way she'd given her speech at the start of the new school year. For as long as Hermione had known her, she'd always exuded authority, but being in charge of the whole school…she thrived. Professor Dumbledore had possessed a different kind of poise before and McGonagall was certainly capable of channelling that, but from Hermione's understanding of her conversations with Professor Gournie, women in power—especially older women—were often forced to show a harder side of themselves in order for them to be obeyed. Watching her former Transfiguration teacher, and regardless of what punishment she implemented, Hermione felt proud and honoured to have had her as a teacher and Headmistress.
"…Therefore I won't be ordering any punishments today," McGonagall continued. "Instead, I will be awarding a few points."
Hermione looked around thoroughly confused. While she was musing about her admiration for McGonagall, the Professor appeared to have come to the complete opposite conclusion Hermione thought she would. Hermione couldn't believe her ears.
"You must be joking!" Pansy yelled from the back and met McGonagall's icy stare. "They were all out of bed in the middle of the night, flying around inside the castle and doing who knows what!"
"You know, Miss Parkinson, you're right," McGonagall said in a placating tone. "I do have some points to dock."
Pansy smiled triumphantly.
"I think we can all agree," McGonagall continued, "that at least there was one person out of bed for no good reason."
Pansy's smile slipped right out of her face.
"Mr Malfoy can enlighten you about that." McGonagall nodded at Draco and looked at him expectantly.
"Uh…" he began as everyone turned to look at him. "Twenty points for wandering the corridors at night, if I remember correctly." Hermione noticed he tried to hide a smirk, but he couldn't.
"Twenty points from Slytherin it is. Thank you, Miss Parkinson, you are dismissed."
The girl couldn't contain the look of rage that took over her face, turning red as though smoke was about to come out of her ears. She stomped out of the room, unnecessarily slamming the door closed behind her.
"Now, just as I explained, I'm going to be awarding fifty points to each of you for your services to the school," McGonagall concluded as Theo, Astoria and Rolf cheered loudly. "Personal brooms can be picked up from Madam Hooch's office, and if there's ever anything like this happening again, please come to me before you do anything."
"But Professor," said Theo chuckling. "You're losing sight of us in three months, remember?"
Timid laughter echoed in the classroom and McGonagall made a face, restraining herself from rolling her eyes, but she also gave him a fond little smile. Hermione couldn't contain her laughter and looked back at Draco, who was shaking his head at his friend, also laughing. When his eyes connected with hers, he winked and her heart could have burst out of her chest right then. They had done it. Together, they had fixed a problem that had plagued Draco (and then her) for months, finding themselves and each other in the process. Everything would be okay.
· - ·
Walking down the marble staircase towards the Great Hall for dinner, Ginny, Hermione, Rolf and Luna noticed a big group of people standing in front of the House points hourglasses, talking loudly. Some seemed incredulous and others outraged.
"What the bloody Hell is this?" someone shouted. "Slytherin is winning all of a sudden?"
"Someone must have rigged it!"
"See, I told you there was an unfair majority of Slytherins in Slug Club," Ginny said conspiratorially to Hermione as they entered the Great Hall.
"Right," Hermione said while the loud voices followed them in. "I can't wait for the castle to be empty again, honestly. Some peace would be nice."
"Aww, you didn't miss us last time?" Ginny whined facetiously before she whispered, "Oh, that's right, you had a shag pal."
"Ginny!" Hermione whisper-yelled alarmed. "Shh, please!"
Ginny's expression softened before she said, "I'm sorry. But Hermione, you have to start thinking about what's going to happen when you leave school. Are you still going to shush me in five years so that no one knows you're married to him?"
"Who said anything about marriage, Merlin's beard!" Hermione protested. "This only just started."
"It's been months and you're still hiding," Ginny said. "I mean, it's fairly obvious by the way you look at each other, and really, I understand, trust me. But at some point you're going to have to go public, aren't you?"
Rolf cleared his throat from his seat in front of them. The table was starting to fill out and he looked slightly uncomfortable. "Maybe…don't have that discussion here?"
"Thank you," Hermione said to him and he nodded. Ginny let out a frustrated sigh.
Like he was a magnet, Hermione looked up to find Draco's grey eyes on her as he followed Theo and Blaise. The three of them walked up to where Rolf and Luna were sitting.
"Hey, gang, did you see our shiny emeralds are way up?" Theo bragged. "How did that happen, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah," Ginny said waving her hand like she was shooing an animal. "We all still have one Quidditch game left. Gryffindor will be winning those points back in no time."
"Yeah, we're playing against Hufflepuff," he said flippantly. "You'll see, Red. The evil Slytherins will take the House Cup this year if only to spite all those wankers outside demanding answers."
Hermione's eyebrows furrowed. She thought people should start letting go of things and move on so everyone could heal. House points were never really so important that people demanded proof of how they were earned, were they? She understood why McGonagall hadn't announced her decision in front of everybody at school, but seeing this reaction, maybe she should have.
"Anyway, I've already submitted an essay to the Headmistress suggesting how to fully restore the Room of Hidden Things," Theo continued. "I wouldn't really want to test our luck again and I think someone more experienced, possibly from the Ministry, should do it. I'd like to see a good result."
"You mean restore all the things that were in the room? From all the ashes?" Rolf asked and Theo nodded.
"The universe works in amazing ways, Rolfie," Theo said and smirked at Hermione. "My time and space research gave me an idea."
"Theo thinks a spell similar to the one that powers Time-turners could make all the things that burned down reappear," Draco explained.
"That…kind of makes sense," Hermione said. "Since they were lost in a magical fire, they could never be mended traditionally."
"Exactly," Theo said smiling proudly. "Well, I've presented the theory. Hopefully, they take it seriously, but at least I have McGonagall's approval."
"That's great, Theo!" Hermione said and the rest echoed her sentiment.
"Hey, ferret face!"
Draco barely had time to react before a stinging hex was thrown at him from behind. He fell forward, nearly on top of Theo, but his friend was able to catch him. Draco raised one of his hands to the opposite arm, hissing in pain. Hermione stood up in alarm.
"Rossum, what are you doing?" Ginny asked the sixth-year kid who had attacked Draco. He was one of her Quidditch teammates.
Hermione stood up and pointed her wand at him, concentrating on something which would be both disarming and debilitating for a while. The boy became immobilized head to toe and fell backwards on the floor.
"You okay, mate?" Theo muttered and Draco nodded, grimacing. Hermione knew his arm would be swollen.
"Where did you get all those points from, ferret?" Another Gryffindor sixth-year boy asked, stepping around his petrified friend.
"That is something that doesn't concern any of you right now," McGonagall said with a hard voice, appearing from the other side.
Hermione glanced back and a few professors were standing near the staff table watching in concern. Hagrid was shaking his head while Professor Gournie had a hand resting on her chest and her mouth was open in astonishment.
"Like Hell it is!" the boy exclaimed. "We've been working our arses off all year. They're terrible Quidditch players and everybody hates them."
"Yes, I've been informed of several incidents and infractions against Slytherin students, which I categorically abhor," McGonagall said with disdain. "But attacking another student is absolutely—"
"Harry Potter did it," someone said further down the table and McGonagall closed her eyes in frustration.
"Who said that?" Hermione demanded angrily. Dennis Creevey started raising his hand slowly and looking mildly scared. "You know what, it doesn't matter. Like any of you have never done something you regret…"
"Harry Potter is a hero," McGonagall began in a louder tone, nodding her head before addressing the rest of the room. "But he is still human. None of us humans are exempt from making mistakes. Harry Potter has made mistakes in the past. This man here," she said, putting a hand on Draco's shoulder, "has made mistakes in the past. Tell me, Mr Creevey, have you ever made a mistake?"
Dennis nodded slowly.
"Have you regretted it and wished you could go back and fix it?" McGonagall asked. Dennis' chin started trembling, his eyes watered and he nodded again before hanging his head.
"Please, raise your hands, anybody who has ever made a mistake and wished they could fix it," McGonagall demanded loudly.
Hermione watched as most students raised their hands slowly as they looked at each other, some looking remorseful, others with tears in their eyes and others showing surprised faces. She raised her hand along with Ginny, Rolf, Luna, Blaise, Theo, Draco and even McGonagall herself. Hermione looked at the staff table where all professors had their hands raised, then up to see the Houses ghosts also raising their hands. Even Peeves had one of his hands up as he giggled with his other covering his mouth.
When her eyes landed back on Draco she felt her heart tumble in her chest and she rubbed the spot over her robes. He offered her a small smile even though he must have been in pain.
"You see?" McGonagall went on. "It doesn't matter what House you belong in. In the end, we're all equal and we're all human. Therefore, we must treat each other as such."
Hermione remembered the last time the Great Hall had felt so silent while there were so many people in it. Harry had just made a reappearance to face Snape right before the Final Battle began. Then, McGonagall had taken charge for the first time, rallying everyone like troops with conviction. The surge of admiration she felt for this woman brought tears to Hermione's eyes.
"I will explain the change in House points in due time," the Headmistress concluded. "But for now, just know that a formidable group of Slytherins have helped fix, from past errors, something integral to this school. They fixed something that played an important part in defending Hogwarts and in defeating Voldemort. That is all."
After a few moments of deafening silence, a few whispers started echoing in the Great Hall. McGonagall turned to Draco, nodded once and he mirrored her gesture.
"Mr Nott, please lead Mr Malfoy to the infirmary," she said as she signalled Madam Pomfrey from the staff table. "I will take Mr Rossum to be treated with the new Mandrakes that were grown this year."
As Theo and Draco walked down the long table, Hermione did the same on the other side until she reached them at the end of it. She meant to touch Draco's elbow, where he was holding his injured arm, but he recoiled slightly. Her worry was replaced by hurt and he likely saw it reflected in her eyes, because he stepped forward again.
"I'll be fine, Granger," he murmured quietly.
He left with Theo, who made a strange face at Hermione, and she stood rooted to her spot while the other students whispered around her.
· - ·
The Easter holiday was just as popular to students' families as Christmas, so once again, the castle remained fairly empty except for a dozen or so students. Now that the Room of Requirement was accessible at all times, Theo, Wanda, Draco and Hermione spent a lot of their free time there, whenever they weren't taking advantage of the odd hot and sunny day outside. This time, however, Blaise joined them. His flighty mother had decided to spend her holidays in Venice with her new fifth husband.
Some nights, Draco and Hermione would stay up late in the adjacent bedroom she'd asked for before, but with a few décor changes so that it didn't remind them too much of how it ended the last time they were there. Hermione enjoyed their moments alone, but something was nagging at the back of her mind.
"Wait," she said one day as he lay on top of her on the bed, slipping his hands under her shirt. He felt warm and hard in between her legs, but her brain wasn't into it.
"Wait, no, stop," she repeated. He immediately ceased his movements and raised his head to look at her questioningly. "What are we doing?"
"What do you mean?" he asked before kissing behind her ear and whispering, "It's pretty clear to me what we're doing."
"No, I mean in general," she clarified, pushing on his chest until he was sitting up next to her. "What are we to each other? Where is this going?"
He stayed silent for what felt like long minutes before he ran his hands through his hair and looked at her, searching for something in her eyes. She wondered if he was applying Legilimency on her again.
"Ah," he said with a sigh.
"Ah?" she asked disappointed. "Is that all you have to say?"
"Well, excuse me for not having my thoughts together as you spring deep questions at me when I'm trying to rub my hard-on on you!"
"So that's all I am, am I? A warm body to shag?" she accused, scrambling to fix her clothes and finding her shoes, which were scattered at the foot of the bed.
"Shut up, it's not that and you know it," his hurt tone caught her attention and she looked up to see him sitting on the bed.
"No, I don't. It's precisely why I'm asking." She needed for him to say something, anything to let her know he saw a future with her and this wasn't just a pastime.
He'd achieved what he wanted, what she signed up to help him with, and getting to know him intimately had been a pleasant surprise, but Ginny was right and she needed more.
"I don't know," he said with a tired sigh. "It's my real answer."
"You don't know," she repeated, feeling even further disappointed. "Then what, you expect us to hide forever?"
"Forever? Hermione—"
"Don't Hermione me right now!"
"Listen, please!" he begged desperately, shaking his head. "I care about you, okay? That much is true, but—"
"It's not enough."
"But what else do you want from me? I have nothing to offer to you, honestly!"
"Nothing?!" She huffed and walked closer until she was standing in front of him and he looked at her. "Well, I want a real relationship, can't you offer me that at least?"
"I wish, Hermione, I really do." Her traitor heart broke at his forlorn voice. "You deserve so much, you deserve the fucking world, but I can't give it to you."
"I don't want the world, Draco, but I want you. I want us."
"And I want us too, but—" He took a sharp breath trying to gather his thoughts. "I've been living in one of my best dreams and this sliver of fantasy you've given me helped me get through all these months. Otherwise, I would have given up on myself and this place very quickly.
"But outside of Hogwarts there's a world who's shunned me, and rightfully so, I could never deny that." He looked up at her with glassy eyes and she swallowed the lump in her throat, anticipating the worst. "It means that I can't give you anything else other than myself and, as you said, it's not enough. I can't go to shops or restaurants, Hermione. I can only count on the dirty gold Lucius' indefinite imprisonment has left me, a house I loathe and don't want, and a broken mother.
"You're Hermione Granger, for Merlin's sake. I can't let you go out in public with me and ruin what you've earned. You can make a change in our world, just like you've always dreamed of. And it won't happen if you're with me, don't you see?"
"Are you finished?" she asked after a moment of silence. She was seething.
"Yeah..." he said in an exhale. His grey eyes shone and his face fell as he took in her angry frown.
"So you're saying that no matter how real what we have may be, outside of here we should not see each other, am I right?" She tried to control her voice, but it still came out shaky with hurt and rage. "You once told me I was worth fighting for."
"I'm sorry."
Hermione walked to the door and opened it before she said, "No, I'm the one who's sorry, because I've fallen for an idiot."
She was halfway down the corridor before she felt the tears running down her face.
· - ·
A/N. I know, I know. Things have to get worse before they get better, okay? Trust me. Or don't, let me know in a review.
Also, McGonagall treating a simple Petrificus Totalus with Mandrakes is a bit much, you might say, but the idiot is just going to stay quiet a little bit longer. Maybe then he'll learn... *shrug*
See you next week! By the way, the story won't go to September, that's how close we are to the ending.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, AurorEowyn and Girl of Chaos!