FOUR

Wednesday, 3 September 1944

Hermione was up earlier than her roommates, giving her ample time to claim the bathroom as her own. She could have taken her time, but she wanted to go to the common room and check on Malfoy as fast as possible. She was sure he would be one of the first up and out of his dorm. Finished in the bathroom, she scourgified her clothes, slipped on her borrowed robes, and made her way to the common room.

Malfoy wasn't there, but judging from the hairs standing up on the back of her neck, she knew who was. Had he not looked up, she would have retreated back to her room, but it was too late. Instead, she riled up her Gryffindor bravery and took the furthest seat away from him. She took out a book and began to read.

"You're up early," he said, coming to sit closer to her.

"New place," she said, not bothering to look up.

She felt the tension in the room thicken, but refused to keep her eyes on the page. "Miss Granger, have I done something to offend you?" he asked.

There was a tickling sensation at the back of her mind. She slammed up the thickest Occlumency shield she could think of and looked up to glare at him. "Yes," she said, snapping her book closed quite harshly.

"Would you care to elaborate? We have only just met."

"I know all I need to know about you," she said, shoving the book back in her bag. "And I know what it feels like to have your mind invaded so I would stay out of my head if I were you."

She swallowed thickly as surprise flickered in his eyes. His lips quirked into that ever-present ghost of a smirk. "I apologize. I sometimes forget my own skill. I have never had someone call me out before." He leaned forward and Hermione forced herself not to cower; instead her fingers dug into the leather. "May I ask what it is that I did?"

"You did. Twice now." She trembled from fear and the energy it took to keep her walls up. He took a deep breath from his nose as if inhaling her fear. His eyes narrowed as he savored it.

He leaned back and Hermione let her breath out slowly, but kept a hold of her walls. At this rate, she wouldn't even have the energy to make it through her first class. "Whatever it is, I apologize. It must have been quite awful for you to fear me as much as you do, Harmony."

The way he said her name left her with a bad taste in her mouth. It was as if he knew it wasn't her real name.

"If you'll allow it, I would like the chance to make amends."

Her walls were slipping and she could see in his eyes that he was waiting for them to crumble. She squeezed her eyes shut, but no matter how much she tried, the walls began to shatter.

"Granger?"

Malfoy's voice broke the hold Riddle had over her. Her walls crumbled and turned to dust in her mind, but she could no longer feel the tickle of him waiting to gain entry. Malfoy's hand found her shoulder and she looked up to give him a small smile, but failed. He wasn't even looking at her; he had his eyes transfixed on Riddle.

"Good morning Mister Malory. Miss Granger and I were just discussing her first night in her dorm. It seems neither of you slept well. Is there anything I might be able to help with?"

"Just a new place," he said, echoing Hermione's statement without knowing.

She smiled then and got to her feet. Riddle gave them both a tight-lipped smile. "I hope you both adjust to your surroundings. Hogwarts can feel quite like home if you allow it to."

Hermione leaned down to reach for her bag, but jumped back when Riddle rose with it already in hand. She snatched it from him hastily and shoved her hair behind her ears. Without a word, she turned to Malfoy and reached for his hand.

"I'll see you both in Charms," he called after them.

Malfoy practically dragged her out of the common room as her legs didn't move nearly as fast as his. It was still rather early in the morning, but students were sure to be roaming the halls on their way to breakfast soon. For now, they were alone in a corridor near the Great Hall.

"Are you alright?" Malfoy asked, tossing his bag at his feet next to hers.

She nodded. "He tried to look inside my mind. He was surprised when I resisted, but we really need to practice. If you hadn't come when you had, he would have seen everything. He was there, waiting for the walls to fall."

Malfoy's eyes were raging storms when she looked at him. "I'm sorry I wasn't there sooner. We should communicate in the mornings. Don't come out of your dorm unless I'm there."

She nodded immediately and wrapped her arms in front of her. "Why does he seem so fixated on me?"

"He can sense how powerful your magic is, Granger. It calls to him."

"Maybe he can smell my dirty blood with his rotten nose," she muttered, letting her head fall back against the stone wall.

"Your blood isn't dirty," he said. His voice was so quiet she thought for a moment that she'd imagined it. But when she opened her eyes, she saw the look on his face and knew it was real.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"Come on, let's get an early breakfast. I'm going to need food if I have to have a one-on-one with Dumbledore and fend off Riddle for two classes today."

She nodded in agreement. "If we partner up in every class, we should be alright."

"I've always wanted a partner to do all the heavy lifting," he teased as they picked up their bags.

"Think again, Malfoy."

"Oh come on, you know you love the work. Besides, what if I mess something up?"

"You wouldn't," she said and then narrowed her eyes at him. "Would you?"

He laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "I know you'd just love to blame me if something went wrong. Whether I lifted a finger to help you or not."

They started walking and out of instinct, she reached for his hand. It stopped her in her tracks when he pulled his hand out of reach. "Sorry," she mumbled, lowering her head to hide her crimson cheeks.

She went still as his hand sought hers and laced their fingers together. "It's fine. It'll go with the cover story," he said, pulling her forward to walk again. "We were just doing this."

"In front of Riddle to make a point."

He turned to look at her and she dared to peak up at him through her lashes. When did he get so tall? she asked herself.

He gave her hand a small squeeze. "It's nice to know that I'm not alone. Even if it's you."

She narrowed her eyes at him, but returned the small smile that tugged at his lips. Together, they walked into the Great Hall and took their usual seats at the table, letting their fingers remain joined until the last possible moment.

Watching Dumbledore give a lecture about Transfiguration felt like witnessing something rare and extraordinary. Hermione had leaned over her side of the desk, propped her head in her hands, and just listened. Her interactions with him hadn't been out of the ordinary save a time or two; not in comparison to the things he would do with Harry, but he was in his element now.

It was Malfoy's elbow in her rib that sucked her back into reality and she blushed as she realized class had already ended. Most students had already vacated the classroom. He motioned for her to go and began to pack her things for her.

"Professor Dumbledore?"

He turned from where he stood facing his desk and peered down his spectacles at her. He gave a smile as she approached. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

Her lips parted, but her tongue felt thick and heavy in her mouth. It was as if she'd lost the will to speak.

"Miss Granger?"

The tears spilled down her cheeks before she even knew they were coming. She lunged forward and threw her arms around him, sobbing into his beard. Instead of pulling away from her, he simply held her back and let her cry.

She pulled back on her own accord after a moment and blushed while wiping her face. "I'm sorry."

He pulled out the chair nearest them and gestured for her to sit. Malfoy was watching them from their desk with a strange look in his eye. Dumbledore made another seat for himself and sat in front of her.

"I didn't mean to… It's just… You're alive…"

His eyes widened at that, but he merely chuckled. "I take it I'm no longer amongst the living wherever you're from."

She shook her head and wiped at her eyes again. "No."

He reached forward and patted her hand. "We all pass on into the afterlife, Miss Granger. If it was my time…" He pulled away and smiled. "What year was it?" he asked and then waved in dismissal. "Don't answer that," he said and looked at Malfoy at the desk. "I should love to discuss this with you both, but I have another class soon. Would you both join me in my office Saturday for tea? After lunch perhaps."

She nodded eagerly. "Thank you."

She started to get up, but he stopped her with another pat on the hand. "Please stay another moment, Miss Granger. Mister Malory-"

"It's Malfoy, actually," he said.

Dumbledore smiled. "I thought the resemblance to Abraxas was uncanny. He graduated last year. Did you know him?"

Malfoy got up from the desk and brought both bags with him before standing behind Hermione. "He was my grandfather."

"Ah, the not too distant future."

"And my name is Hermione, not Harmony."

"Clever to change certain things. Did we know each other well?"

"You were a mentor to my best friend," she said, forcing away another round of tears at the thought of Harry.

Malfoy stayed silent.

Dumbledore looked between the two of them. "Am I safe to assume that the broken nose the night you arrived is a signal of your relationship?"

"We're not friends," Hermione answered. "But we're all we have while we're stuck, so we're making due."

"And how are you finding your house?"

"I was a Slytherin before," Malfoy said.

"I should expect no less," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"I was Gryffindor. I don't belong amongst the snakes."

His smile wavered for a moment. "Then I believe it goes without saying to watch yourselves."

"We know about…him," Hermione said, opting not to the say the name in case someone was lurking outside the classroom.

Dumbledore inclined his head. "Things we can discuss at tea on Saturday," he assured her and stood. "I trust you know where my office is?"

"You were our Headmaster, Sir."

He chuckled at the thought. "It's on the third floor, just past the pair of gargoyles. There is a portrait of a candy dish outside of it. The password is Fizzy Pop."

Hermione smiled as she got to her feet as well. "Thank you."

He waved at them as they took their leave of the classroom. Malfoy walked ahead of her as if he couldn't wait until they made it to the hall. He stopped her once they were far enough away and handed her her bag.

"Well that went well."

She rolled her eyes. "I know you're being sarcastic, but it actually did go well. He knows we're misplaced and we'll have the opportunity to talk to him on Saturday. He'll help us."

"I'm glad you have faith in him."

In effort to not start a new argument, she ignored his comment. "We have less than an hour until Charms. Do you want to work on the assignment in the common room or should we head to the library?"

"The assignment we were just handed?"

"Yes," she answered, narrowing her eyes as he looked at her with concern.

"Are you going to be like this the entire time we're here?" He shook his head and nodded towards the stairs. "If we spend our time doing homework, we'll never have time to research our side project."

"In Third Year, I took ten classes. I did all of that, helped Harry and Ron with their school work, saved Sirius and Buckbeak from certain death, and still managed to get every single one of my assignments in on time." She paused to catch her breath. "I think I can manage five classes and still get us home."

She had thrown a lot of information at him at once and it left him stunned. She smiled and pushed past him on the way to the library. He jogged to catch up with her and cut her off. "You mean to tell me that fucking beast lived?"

"Buckbeak," she hissed. "Was an innocent creature. You were properly informed how to approach him, but you just had to show off. It's your own fault you got hurt and Buckbeak didn't deserve his unfair punishment."

"But my father-"

"Nope, I saved him. And I punched you. All in the same day," she said, smiling as she reflected fondly on the memory.

He scowled at her as they continued on to the library. "Regardless of who was at fault, that thing hurt me."

She scoffed. "Please. You drew that out for far too long; even your housemates started to get annoyed."

He waved his hand at her. "Wait a minute. Did you say ten classes?"

"I did."

"How is that possible?"

"Ah, see that secret doesn't apply to our escape plan here, so I don't have to tell you."

He stared at her for a moment, but sighed in the end. "Fine. Let's get this assignment over with, shall we?"