Fifty shades of green and silver, scarlet and gold

by Kou Shuurei-sama

Draco embraces his dark side as a task from Voldemort gives him (more) reason to take teasing to a different level when it comes to his favorite mudblood. Will Hermione break or will she resist? In the end, will she even want to resist Draco? Set at the beginning of HBP, this is a dark adult-themed story with an intense and at times disturbing mood, you've been warned!

13. You'd never dream to break the fixation

A/N: Before I write anything else, let me first say that I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and let me wish you a wonderful new year - I hope 2023 brings you lots of happiness and achievements! I'm sorry I posted this chapter later than usual, but as you can imagine, I've been on a 'winter holiday' of sorts, writing wasn't exactly a priority. Sorry again for not forewarning you about the delay, I forgot all about it because originally I hoped I'd be done with the chapter before the holidays. However, once again, this is an extremely long chapter because of all of the events I had to cover, so finishing it quickly was out of the question to begin with, despite my best hopes.

Anyway, believe it or not, we're getting close to the end of the story because, as you could see from the previous chapter, horcruxes tend to get destroyed easier and faster if you already have the Sword of Gryffindor and/or a basilisk fang, if Grimmauld Place is still a safehouse and especially if Dumbledore is still around to help out. As a consequence, the Battle of Hogwarts will take place at the beginning of the school term, not at its end. Everything else until the battle will be covered in this chapter.

I pretty much took the scene of unveiling the Potters' house in Godric's Hallow word for word, because it's one of the most emotional scenes in the entire series, in my opinion and I couldn't bear to cut it short or modify it too much - it's perfect just like J.K wrote it.

Without further ado, enjoy this new chapter!

---

Chapter 13 – You'd never dream of breaking this fixation

(Hermione p.o.v.)

Hermione silently cursed herself for being fifty shades of stupid for getting herself in such a situation. The mask on her eyes made her blind to anything Draco might do to her and the tie around her hands made sure she couldn't stop it either. And she could tell from Draco's smug voice that he was immensely enjoying the thought of everything he planned to do to her in her vulnerable position.

"I thought you were done with this kind of stuff when you took the choker off of me!" she said, trying to turn herself back facing upwards, but Draco had straddled her so there was no chance of success.

"That was a wrong assumption, I'm afraid", Draco said, as he moved aside her hair and kissed her neck and then down her back, biting every now and then, which sent a jolt of pleasure through Hermione's body. She was upset with how her body betrayed her, but there was nothing she could do about that either so she just sighed - from pleasure or resignation, she wasn't exactly sure. But it was easier to just let Draco do whatever he wanted and, why not, enjoy it, while at it.

He wrapped her hair around his fist and pulled so that he lifted her head up from the bed, and he kissed her mouth, tasting her thoroughly. Draco caressed her arms and Hermione felt she'd melt from all the sensations which were heightened by the fact that she couldn't see what he was doing.

However, when he lifted himself off of her and starting pushing her nightgown upwards, she suddenly panicked.

"Okay, whatever game it is you're playing at, I think you've gone far enough", she said, trying not to let him hear how unsettled she was feeling.

"A love game, perhaps", he said as he caressed the back of her thighs, while lifting her nightgown ever upwards.

"You're confusing love with making love", Hermione corrected through gritted teeth - she was afraid that he'd hear her moan otherwise. Not only was she enjoying his hands on her, but the fact that he used the word 'love' was also a big turn on for her.

"Always a stickler for rules. Vocabulary differences aside, I hope you're not too fond of this nightgown - or, at the very least that you brought more with you!"

"Why...?" she started to ask but then was left speechless when in one strong move, he ripped her nightgown in two, removing the halves from her now exposed back.. .and backside. Her white lace bra and panties set didn't do much to cover her up, Hermione knew it too well.

"I can't believe you!" she exclaimed, making sure to keep her voice moderately low, despite her outrage.

"What if I hadn't brought another nightgown with me?" she continued indignantly, wondering why he wasn't saying anything.

"Merlin's pants, Granger, you do have great skin", he finally said, annoying her further by not answering her question. The compliment did make her blush slightly.

"I know you don't like being ignored, so I'll answer your question. Reparo!" he chanted and Hermione figured it out that he'd just fixed her nightgown. "Now you can wear your lovely garment when I'm done with you - I mean, it's pretty fetching, but I prefer it off you."

"And I prefer it on me, not that you're giving me much of a choice!" Hermione protested.

Draco ignored her, despite his previous words stating he knew how much it annoyed her when he did that - or maybe he was doing it on purpose. She didn't much care at the moment, because she was melting under his touch - his hands were roaming over her back, making her skin tingle. She bit into her lip, trying not to let Draco know how much she was enjoying his touch. It got to the point where she only half notice that he'd unhooked her bra and to mind it never even crossed her mind.

He soon replaced his fingers with his lips, kissing every inch of the skin on her back, with the bonus of kissing up and down the back of her arms, and nipping her shoulders. Draco moved her hair to one side so he could also kiss and nip the back of her neck - adding his tongue to the mix, licking her so sensually that she could no longer suppress her sighs of contentment.

"If I had to venture a guess, I'd say you were enjoying yourself, Granger!" Draco teased, as his hand slipped beneath her panties, caressing her rounded flesh.

Hermione could deny it all she wanted in words, but her body betrayed her, so she saw no point in it.

"Since you're not denying it, I think you deserve a reward for good behavior", Draco added, and he proceeded to untying her hands, and turning her on her back, finally removing the eye-mask took, so that she blinked him into focus.

She barely had time to process that, being unhooked, her bra had slipped right off of her, and although she saw, for a moment, the heated look in Draco's eyes as he admired her body, he then covered her with his body and they made out, hot and heavy. Soon, however, that wasn't enough anymore, for neither of them.

Hermione's hands found their way beneath Draco's pajama top, to trace the hard contours of his chest. The feel of him wasn't enough either, she concluded. Having been deprived of the sense of sight, now she craved it so she started unbuttoning his pajama top. As she removed it from him, Hermione reasoned that she was topless too, so it was only fair for him to be in a similar state of dishabille. Draco's naked chest was a sight to behold and Hermione could have admired it for ages, but she didn't get enough time to admire him to her heart's content, because Draco pushed her back once more, covering her body with his, kissing and touching her, making her lose her head in the midst of an all consuming passion.

Hermione's body burned, every muscle, nerve ending and every single inch of her skin. She still wanted more, so their mouths fought for dominance, tongues tasting deep, teeth nipping - to the point where she didn't know whether they were fighting or making love.

Desire this intense was completely new to Hermione, but having realized that there might not be much time left for the two of them together, she planned to revel in it. As it was, she could not get enough of his lips on her, his hands touching her intimately, and his eyes looking at her so hotly that she felt like she would vaporize any second now.

Getting bolder still, Hermione nipped his lip, her tongue delving into his mouth as her hands gripped the back of his neck - just in case he got the unreasonable idea of backing away. That, however, seemed to be far from Draco's thought, as he responded with enthusiasm to her advances.

Hermione was basking in the newness of the sensations and feelings she was experimenting, the biggest thrill coming from the fact that she felt powerful and powerless at the same time - just as Draco was in control and yet not controlling, the two contrasting concepts making her dizzy. The fact that he was so confident in his touch and arrogant in his demands was a bigger turn on than she'd thought possible, indeed one she hadn't known she needed or wanted. Especially as now Draco wasn't his cruel former self from their meetings throughout the year - now, the purpose of his demands were only to bring her pleasure and to make her wanting more. And Hermione wanted more - much more.

Once more his fingers and mouth brought her to the edge, making her hands fist and her body tense, her breath labored. She was basically ready to explode when he finally sunk into her, and if there was any pain, she felt none, she only felt the need to match his pace as her world blew up into fireworks, shattering into pieces she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to piece back together.

Draco held her in his arms afterwards, and she had no idea how long it took for her to regain her breath and be able to speak.

"That was..." For once, words escaped her. Mind-blowing wouldn't even begin to describe it.

"It was!" he agreed and there was awe in his voice. "I can't believe you let me go through with it. I was prepared to stop if you'd have said the word, although it would have probably killed me to do so."

"I'm pretty sure it was out of my hands and into yours", Hermione smilingly said, as she used a finger to slowly draw circles on his naked chest.

"Oh, I don't know, Granger, your hands got pretty touchy-feely there a couple of times, I could've sworn. Your tongue too! Should I continue?" he teased as he nibbled her earlobe.

"Shut up!" she chided playfully, shoving him, but then immediately cuddling back into his arms. "Jokes aside, the reason why I 'let you go through with it' is that there really is no telling how the war will turn out... Any one of us could end up dead, so I say live now, while we still have the chance! The time for words has passed, now it's time for action!"

"There's the Gryffindor I love", Draco approved and Hermione's eyes became as wide as saucers when she heard him using the word 'love' again - and this time so much clearer than last time. He'd just confessed to her!

Draco seemed oblivious to what had just happened as he continued: "I prefer that side of you, although you tend to let the Ravenclaw in you take over."

Hermione was in no mood to debate house placement. She was almost 100% sure that Draco had said he loved her on purpose, but who could really know with him? He was still a mystery to her, despite their recent intimacy.

"Because the voice of reason is usually the best one to follow rather than the hothead-ness", Hermione said, deciding to play along for the moment.

"I think anything hot is preferable", Draco parried as he started kissing and touching her again, probably in hopes that it'd make her forget what he'd said. No chance of that happening. However, Hermione wasn't one to turn down such delicious love-making, so she let him have his way with her again, and she had her way with him too.

It was hours later when they were finally too spent - and, in Hermione's case, too sore - to keep at it, so they spooned under the blankets and blew out the candles.

However, Hermione was not quite ready to say goodnight. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep unless she responded to his confession - because, she figured, it was possible that Draco was waiting for a reply, and not gathering the courage to tell him her feelings would not only be unworthy of a Gryffindor, but might deal him a fatal blow to his self-confidence. Despite what everyone thought, and despite the arrogant front he showed the world, Draco could be unsure of himself and insecure, vulnerable, just like anyone else.

"I love you, too!" she whispered and held her breath, wondering how he'd react.

For a moment there was utter silence, utter stillness in the darkened room, and Hermione feared Draco hadn't heard her.

But then she felt his hand tighten on her stomach, where he was keeping her close, and he nuzzled his face into her hair and neck, letting out a barely audible sigh of contentment.

She placed her own hand over hers, intertwining their fingers and then fell asleep in a state of utter bliss, completely oblivious to what tomorrow, or any of the other future days might bring.

---

From that moment on, Kreacher only had to worry about cleaning up one bedroom instead of two, because Hermione spent all of her nights with Draco. They didn't make love every night, sometimes they just talked, sharing their worries, or just getting to know each other better, other times they just cuddled, no words spoken, and sometimes yes, they did make passionate love, or sweet, gentle love.

Hermione accepted it all, and loved every moment of it. She still couldn't believe that such happiness could be found in the dark times of Voldemort's return. But the fact that they both knew war was coming soon, made them appreciate their time together all the more, and they didn't want to waste a single moment.

Draco looked like a new man - he was no longer the ill looking boy he'd been throughout their sixth year at Hogwarts. He was thriving, just like Hermione was, and it hadn't gone unnoticed.

When she'd visited Dumbledore, the wise old man had looked over his halfmoon spectacles at her with a knowing look that told her he knew very well about the progress of her relationship with Draco, and, what's more, he approved!

Sirius was a different matter. He had a mildly disapproving look whenever he saw Hermione and Draco together, but that look would inevitably turn into a rueful grin, so perhaps there was some approval there as well. Hermione tended to think the grin was more for Draco, a male appreciation for him 'getting the girl' or something silly like that, but whatever it was, she wasn't about to find fault with it. As long as no one interfered between her and Draco, she was content.

She dreaded telling Harry and especially Ron, but she still had time for that - the next time she was going to see her two best friends would be when they'd move Harry from his aunt and uncle's house, and then they'd have more important thing to focus on.

On the morning of the said day, the 30th of July, despite being in Draco's arms, Hermione woke up filled with dread. Her idyllic days with Draco were at an end, she now had to tell him goodbye, and go face the real world, where Voldemort and the Death Eaters awaited, and any moment could be the last one.

"It's too early, stay in bed a little longer", Draco pleaded sleepily, having felt her stir and trying to get up.

"I'm afraid that's not an option today", she replied sadly, then kissed his cheek and removed a stray lock of fair hair that had fallen over his forehead.

Draco had fallen back to sleep because he didn't protest anymore.

Hermione took one last look at him - trying to imprint the image in her mind, of Draco looking so innocent and with his guard lowered, no trace of his usual arrogance while he slept.

Then she quickly took a shower and got dressed, going down into the kitchen, where she saw that Sirius was almost done with his breakfast.

"Sleep well?" he asked with a smirk that reminded her of Draco.

"Tolerably well", Hermione answered, her poker face on.

"That makes one... or perhaps two of you. I had a pretty restless night thinking about my godson being moved from safety today."

"We are moving him not just from safety, but to safety. In between the two locations lies the challenge, because on the road is where we'll be exposed."

"I now regret not signing up to join you as guard. I mean, the Malfoy boy is not a threat, in fact he's not half as bad as I originally thought. He's a decent sort of bloke once you get to know him, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes, I concur."

"Hmmm", was Sirius' only observation, obviously not convinced by her attempt to stay natural and not sing Draco's praises.

He'd been fishing for information about her and Draco, but Hermione wasn't willing to share anything, it wasn't a subject she was comfortable discussing.

"I don't think Professor Dumbledore or Professor Moody would mind one more guard, if you really want to come along", Hermione pointed out, in order to change the subject.

"Actually, Miss Granger, I'd prefer it if Sirius remained here", Dumbledore suddenly said, and Hermione jumped around, wondering when and how he'd gotten down to the kitchen.

"Oh, come on, Dumbledore, wouldn't more people make it safer for Harry to get to his destination unscathed?"

"It might, but more people might get hurt should an attack happen. Also, you'd probably want to guard Harry, only he already has Hagrid watching his back - having two guards on one target would make the Polyjuice potion plan moot, because we'd be pointing out Harry to his enemies. And if you stay with someone else, then you'd make that person a target, which shouldn't sit well with your conscience either!"

Sirius looked defeated at Dumbledore's logical arguments.

Hermione ate a bit of toast, she couldn't stomach more, although she supposed she'd need stamina.

Moody, Lupin, and everyone else who was going to play either the role of Harry or of guard would meet up in front of Harry's house at exactly 8 PM, apparating there because, all being of age, they didn't have the trace on them anymore.

Hermione got ready to do the same after she said her goodbyes.

She was with one foot out the door when a voice calling to her stopped her in her tracks.

"And where do you think you're going, Granger, without saying goodbye to me?"

Draco was finally up and about.

They'd made love time and time again last night, with the desperation that came from knowing that it might have been the last time - so Hermione had hoped he'd remain asleep so she wouldn't have to go through the painful experience of telling him goodbye.

Now that he was facing her, however, she was glad of it.

"I didn't want to wake you", she said lamely, knowing the excuse didn't hold water.

"More like took the cowardly way out of saying goodbye, which is unlike a Gryffindor."

Hermione ran into his arms and hugged him. Draco hugged her back, he kissed her hair and then finally lowered his lips onto hers, giving her a kiss to remember.

"It'll be fine", she said, trying to sound cool and collected, although she was trembling inside and out. "Even if we do get attacked, there's plenty of us to fight them off, and then we'll be safe at the Burrow. I'll see you there for the wedding, you're my date, remember?"

"Of course. Just make sure you make it there safely. I'll come be your date before you know it."

"See you soon, then", Hermione whispered and then she disapparated.

It took a toll on her, given that she didn't have much experience with apparition, but luckily she didn't get splinched. Everyone was already there - her lingering goodbye with Draco had cost her a couple of minutes.

Although it was great seeing Harry, Ron and everyone else again, just as expected, Harry was appalled by their plan of drinking Polyjuice Potion in order to create 'seven Potters' to distract potential enemies.

Moody didn't give him any choice though, and before long, there were seven Harrys, and together with their guards, they were off. Hermione was not thrilled to be flying on a Thestral again, but Kingsley's presence was very reassuring. The feeling didn't last long, because something went wrong almost as soon as they left the ground. Somehow the enemies knew of their plan and they attacked.

Everything happened so fast that Hermione didn't have time to process exactly which of the Death Eaters were attacking her, but she fought back fiercely, just like Kingsley did, and at one point Voldemort himself came after them, but then, all of a sudden, they weren't the focus of the target anymore, and Hermione dreaded that it meant that their enemies had figured out which of the Harrys was the real one.

Her heart felt like it would explode with worry until she finally reached the Burrow and saw that Harry was already there and that he looked OK, overall. Not everyone had made it back in time though. Ron and Tonks were supposed to have arrived but the portkey had come back without them, Bill and Fleur weren't there yet either, nor were Professor Moody and Mundungus.

And George had lost an ear in the fight, Harry had lost Hedwig... they were all worse for wear, but Hermione's main worry was about those who hadn't returned yet. Her relief to see Ron back ok was immense, and he came back the conquering hero, given Tonks' praises of how Ron had stunned a Death Eater straight to the head. She hugged him tight and then listened in horror about how Bellatrix herself had gone after Tonks.

Kingsley couldn't stay to hear everyone's stories, but he asked them to let him know when the others returned. And before long, Bill and Fleur landed on their Thestral, bringing with them the sad news of Moody's death.

Hermione was sad to hear of the brave Auror's passing. And she was upset with Mundungus for disapparating. But then again, she'd felt terrified while Voldemort was attacking them, too... Besides, placing the blame wouldn't bring Moody back.

They toasted with fire-whiskey to Moody's memory, and then tried to convince Harry to stay put - he was so disheartened by Moody's death that he wanted to leave, so that Voldemort wouldn't come after him there and attack anyone else.

He was finally persuaded to stay, but Hermione was still worried about him. He'd had another glimpse into Voldemort's mind, which did not bode well.

In any case, the best Hermione could do was to continue her research on what the remaining horcruxes might be and WHERE they might be, as they waited for Bill and Fleur's wedding. After the wedding, the time would come to actually go in search of the horcruxes.

On the morning of the wedding, Hermione felt completely ridiculous, dolling herself up. There were so much more important things that she'd rather be doing, but Mrs. Weasley would probably kill anyone who didn't come to the wedding looking their best.

She sighed as she fixed her hair with a spell she'd learned of from Ginny. She was just applying the finishing touches of her makeup when someone walked in on her - a redheaded, blue-eyed boy who was probably a Weasley relative that had gotten lost.

"Are you lost? Can I help you find someone?" she asked, mildly irked by his intense stare as he checked her out from head to toe.

"I'm not lost, and I already found the person I was looking for - the most beautiful girl at this wedding, whom I was hoping to still a kiss from, given how much I've missed her", the boy drawled, and Hermione immediately recognized who he really was.

"Draco! You look so different!"

"You think?" he said with a smirk.

"And yet that smirk is a dead giveaway, for me at least", Hermione said with a smile. "I knew you had to come to the wedding in disguise, but I didn't expect you to look like a Weasley!"

"That was the plan for both me and Potter - to pretend we're Weasley distant relatives. Now how about that kiss?" he said as he advanced in the room and placed his hands on her waist.

"Oh, I don't know, you look so different, I'm feeling reluctant", Hermione admitted.

"Just close your eyes", he urged and she did just so as they shared a passionate kiss that left her in no doubt as to whom she was sharing the kiss with, despite his different appearance.

"I'm sorry I can't be your date looking like myself - I can only hope we'll get plenty of chances of that sometimes in the future. But I'm glad you didn't have to change your appearance, because you look splendid!"

Hermione blushed at his compliment and did a pirouette to show off her dress.

"I feel kind of silly dressing up for the wedding when we'll have to go hunt for horcruxes soon, but I suppose we all need to unwind."

"Especially those of you who were involved in moving Potter. We got word about what happened - I can't express how relieved I was when I heard you were OK. I was worried!" he admitted and Hermione hugged him tightly.

"I still can't believe Professor Moody is dead. And poor Hedwig!" Hermione said. "Not to mention the fact that George lost an ear - I know, a lost ear is not a tragedy compared to death, but he and Fred were identical and now they're not and somehow that's so sad!"

"It is sad, but there will be time to mourn. Now is not that time, now is a time to celebrate love" Draco pointed out.

"You're right - if I show up downstairs with red eyes, Mrs. Weasley isn't going to take it too well. Although I expect her to cry at some point during the ceremony - weddings tend to be very emotional affairs!"

"No doubt", Draco agreed as he kissed the spot between her neck and her shoulder. "In fact, I'm feeling pretty emotional right now!" he teased as he continued placing kisses all over her exposed skin.

"I'm not sure 'emotional' is the right word here", Hermione said with a smile.

"Well, be that as it may, you know I have an obsession with you and you'd never dream of breaking this fixation. I think you're enjoying it a bit too much, actually."

While it was true that she was enjoying how much he wanted her, she wasn't about to let him off the hook for the way he made her sound.

"That sounds mildly threatening and worrying, don't you reckon?" Hermione asks. "Besides, I don't approve of obsessions, they're not healthy, so you'd do well to forget all about it and not make me sound like I'm some sort of manipulative mastermind, playing you like a fiddle."

"Granted, that might have come out the wrong way. What I mean to say is, I'm in love with you, Granger, so you're stuck with me whether you like it or not."

She blushed furiously, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest.

"That still sounds threatening, but I'll let it slide given that you've said you love me", she said magnanimously. "The first time you said it in a pretty roundabout way. In any case, given the fact that we've confessed our feelings for each other, don't you think it's high time you called me 'Hermione'? I already call you 'Draco'".

"Oh, I don't know, Granger, I'm not sure I can address you differently just yet... or ever", he said teasingly, before pulling her into his arms and kissing the life out of her.

"All right then, Malfoy, although I have to call you Damien for now, isn't that right? That is the name of the Weasley relative you're impersonating?"

"I suppose", he muttered.

"Well, then let's go, Damien, we don't want to be late!"

The wedding was wonderful, Hermione felt emotional herself, and she relished dancing with Draco, even if he was in disguise. If anything, there was an extra thrill of danger of being with Draco among so many people, most of whom were probably wondering who 'Damien' was.

However, she felt it wouldn't be nice to ignore her friends, especially as they were still not very happy with her for choosing to stay with Draco at Grimmauld Place. So she convinced Draco to go find Harry and Ron, and soon she saw Harry sitting at a table.

She sat down next to him saying "I simply can't dance anymore" as she slipped off one of her shoes and rubbed the sole of her foot. She figured that would be as good an ice breaker as any. "I think I saw Ron getting some butterbeers, which is a good idea, as I'm parched. It's a bit odd, I've also just seen Viktor storming away from Luna's father, it looked like they'd been arguing..." She dropped her voice, staring at Harry, finally noticing that he wasn't listening to her and that he looked troubled. "Harry, are you okay?" she asked.

Before he could give her an answer, something large and silvery came falling through the canopy over the dance floor. It was a gleaming lynx Patronus, which landed gracefully and lightly in the middle of the astonished dancers, immediately drawing all eyes on it. Then the Patronus' mouth opened wide and it spoke in the deep, slow voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt. "The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."

Hermione jumped to her feet, drawing out her wand, and she saw that Harry and Draco had done the same. People were panicking, disapparating, and running and Hermione was shocked for a moment that a lively party had, in an instant, turned into complete chaos. But that was only to be expected, given that the protective enchantments around the Burrow had been broken.

"Ron!" Hermione cried, hoping to find him but not being able to in the wild crowd around them - cloaked and masked figures had appeared and spells were already flying all over the place.

Hermione continued calling for Ron as her, Harry and Draco got caught up in the midst of the terrified wedding guests. And then Ron was finally there, grabbing her arm, and she caught Draco and Harry by their hands and turned on the spot, disapparating them all out of there.

"We're on Tottenham Court Road", she panted, the effort of disapparating so many people so far having taken a toll on her. "Walk, just walk, we need to find somewhere hidden to disapparate from - we need to go back to Grimmauld place where it's safe, and so that we can tell Dumbledore about what happened and to wait for word about what happened at the Burrow", she told the boys, who followed her without question.

However, they were all worried about the Death Eater attack at the Burrow.

"The others... everyone at the wedding..." Harry trailed off, just beginning to appreciate what had happened.

"We can't worry about that now," whispered Hermione. "It's you they're after, Harry, and we'll just put everyone in even more danger by going back."

"She's right," said Ron, who seemed to know that Harry was about to argue. "Most of the Order was there, they'll look after everyone."

"Just try to act naturally until...this will do." she said, leading them down a side street, then into the shelter of a shadowy alleyway.

"Do you think you have one more apparition in you?" Draco asked her, his voice filled with concern, which warmed her heart.

"I think so".

They all held on to each other and Hermione apparated on the doorstep of the Black house. They didn't waste time in getting inside, to safety, and they immediately went upstairs, to knock on Dumbledore's door.

Once they were inside, Dumbledore asked "What happened?"

He had gathered from their worried faces that they weren't simply back from the wedding early.

They told Dumbledore about Kingsley's warning that the Ministry of Magic had fallen and then about how the Death Eaters attacked the Burrows, breaking through the protective enchantments. Hermione explained that she figured the best thing to do was to get them out of there, seeing as Harry was the target.

"But Professor, I have to go back!"

"No, Harry, I'm afraid Miss Granger is right, the best thing for you to do is stay here."

"But then the rest of us should go!" Draco said, and Ron seconded it.

"Should we go, Professor?" Hermione asked, not sure which was the best course of action. She wanted to fight too, but somehow it didn't seem like the most logical thing to do.

"No. I'm sure the Order will take care of the Death Eaters - and Sirius should be back soon with news. Let us just wait until then, it's the wisest thing to do, even if it doesn't seem right to you, at the moment", Dumbledore said gently, looking at all of them.

A nerve wracking period followed in which none of them could do anything other than sit around, worrying about the ones they'd left behind. They had no idea how long they'd waited but they all jumped up from their seats when Sirius suddenly burst through the door.

"You're all right!" he said with a great sigh of relief as he looked them over, then he proceeded to give Harry a big hug.

"And you're all right!" Harry said, obviously relieved. "What about the others? Ginny? The Weasleys? Lupin and Tonks?..."

Sirius raised a hand to shush him and said: "Everyone is all right." Sirius also told them that although there were no casualties, many of the guests were questioned by the Death Eaters about Harry's whereabouts, and the Weasley family was put under surveillance, which meant they couldn't contact them directly, at least not for a while.

Hermione felt like an immense weight was lifted off of her, now that she knew that no one had gotten seriously hurt - she still felt guilty about fleeing instead of fighting but it had probably been the right call.

Draco took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, and she felt comforted to have him by her side.

"So now what? Do we start looking for horcruxes?" asked Sirius, impatient to be doing something, now that there had already been an attack.

"I believe the best course of action is to wait until the new Hogwarts term begins" said Dumbledore. "Severus will be the new Headmaster, and there will be Death Eaters at the school - they'll want to try to teach Dark Arts to students so they could annex them to their army, which is what Voldemort has wanted for a long time - the reason why he's asked me for the Defence Against the Dark Arts job, and then cursed it when I refused. They might be expecting that you'll go back to school, Harry, which is why it's best to wait until the 1st of September."

"But that's a whole month away!" Harry complained, and Hermione understood his frustration. After the attack at the wedding not just him and Sirius, but all of them were eager to strike back somehow.

"Exactly, a month in which we can plan our steps, and you can all practice your defensive and offensive magic", Dumbledore explained calmly.

"More practice is always welcome', Hermione said, trying to cool down tempers. Ron was looking particularly upset about the delay, although he didn't say anything out loud. Hermione supposed he had reasons to be against waiting, after all, it was his brother's wedding that the Death Eaters 'crashed', his home and family members that were now under surveillance.

"Still, the sooner we find the horcruxes and destroy them, the sooner we can end end this war! And although we have to wait before we go looking for them, we can start discussing our strategy, so where should we begin?" Sirius asked.

"We've already established that it's pointless to go after Nagini - she'll be the last horcrux we go after. The first should be the Hufflepuff Cup, because we still don't know exactly which object belonging to Ravenclaw - or Gryffindor houses is the last horcrux" Dumbledore said.

"The problem is, we have no idea where the cup might be. On the other hand, if one of the horcruxes does belong to Gryffindor House, Godric Gryffindor in particular, shouldn't we go looking in Godric's Hollow?" Harry asked.

"That's a bit of a long shot, but perhaps it wouldn't hurt to go check it out, just to make sure we don't miss anything", Hermione said, not necessarily because she really hoped they'd find something there but because she felt like Harry really wanted to go to the place where he'd had a home with his parents, albeit for a short while.

Dumbledore was looking at Harry over his halfmoon spectacles and he probably concluded the same thing, that Harry needed the closure.

Time was of the essence, but seeing as they really had no clue where to look for the Hufflepuff cup, there wasn't any solid argument against Harry's proposal.

"To Godric's Hollow, then", Dumbledore said, officially giving them permission.

"It'll only be the five of us going, I reckon?" Sirius asked.

"Exactly - because you're the only ones who know about the horcruxes and it's best to keep it that way", Dumbledore confirmed.

"All right then, everyone go to their rooms and rest. We can talk more tomorrow and you'll start your training - I'm sure Remus will be kind enough to join Sirius in teaching you the most useful and powerful spells that you might need."

They headed towards their rooms in silence - the events of the day taking their toll, they were all exhausted.

Draco, however, had other ideas in mind.

"Looks like we have one more month before we leave the safety of this house, so better make the most of the nights, right?" he said suggestively and Hermione could find no reason for not going along with his suggestion.

So they continued spending their nights together in Draco's bedroom, but Hermione made sure that in the morning she sneaked back to her room, so as not to make Harry or Ron suspicious - not that they ever entered her bedroom early morning, however it was best to tread carefully. The boys were going to spend a lot of time together, hunting horcruxes, so they had to be on relatively good terms and finding out about Hermione and Draco's relationship would not be conducive to that end.

---

On the morning of the 1st of September, Hermione was so anxious about their 'trip' to Godric's Hallow, that she was on her feet first thing on the morning, despite having spent a night of passion in Draco's arms. Somehow, their lovemaking both exhausted her in a delicious way, and it also energized her. She didn't understand it, but gladly accepted it.

She was packing her things - books, potions, clothes and a lot of other things - all into the beaded handbag that she had at Bill and Fleur's wedding, with Draco watching her with interest.

"Packing is essential, because we're heading out into danger, and we might not be able to come back here, so we should make sure we have everything we need, just in case", Hermione explained quickly, packing everything at the speed of light.

"An undetectable expansion charm, I gather?" he finally asked, looking at her handbag and Hermione confirmed it.

"I think we should travel light, so if you'll bring your things, I'll put them in here with mine. Oh, I'd better let Sirius know!" she ran to tell him and luckily he didn't have a lot of things to pack so they were done quickly.

For Harry and Ron, it was simpler: she'd already packed some essential things for them when she'd stayed at the Burrow, because she'd anticipated something might happen and they might have to make a quick getaway - she'd had a feeling and now Hermione was more than glad that she'd listened to her instincts.

"You're amazing, you are," said Ron, and Hermione said "Thank you", managing a small smile.

When she returned to her room, Draco was still inside.

They didn't speak as Hermione finished packing her things and then followed Draco into his bedroom where she helped him pack his. Both of them were thinking about the dangers ahead and wondering how long it would take for them to find the two horcruxes and destroy them so that they could next go after Nagini and, finally, Voldemort himself. Plus there was the 'small' matter of his army - not just Death Eaters but other dangerous foes as well.

"All right - I guess we're all ready now. Let's go meet everyone else downstairs, we still need to get some food from the kitchen, Sirius told me he'd talk to Kreacher to prepare something", Hermione told Draco.

Kreacher had outdone himself, packing all sort of canned foods and other nonperishables. As Hermione packed everything, they once more confirmed their previously made plan of where to go first when they got to Godric's Hallow. Harry insisted to go to his parents' house and the cemetery, after which they'd try to find the places that Godric Gryffindor was connected to, in hopes of finding a hidden horcrux.

Hermione wasn't sure they'd find anything because she didn't think Voldemort would have gotten his hands of something that belonged to Gryffindor, but it was better to make sure.

Once the food was packed, they didn't linger long in the kitchen, but they did go up to Dumbledore's room one more time, to say their goodbyes.

"Harry, did you pack the piece of mirror Sirius gave you a couple of years ago? It would be an efficient and untraceable means of communications", Dumbledore observed, and when Harry confirmed having packed the shard, he continued. "The best of luck of you all and I hope you will have good news to share before long. Oh, I have prepared a Portkey for you."

He indicated a candlestick.

Hermione was surprised Dumbledore had the power to transform the candlestick into a Portkey, but she took it as a good sign that the Headmaster was recovering. In the last month, Dumbledore had regained some of his strength back, but unfortunately not enough to join them on the horcrux hunting. He was still far from his former self, which was why, for now, they had to handle this horcrux business by themselves. So she, Draco, Harry, Ron and Sirius all touched the candlestick at the same time and after some very uncomfortable moments she landed hard in the middle of Godric's Hollow's town-square.

It was late at night so no one was around to notice them appear out of thin air - as it would appear to Muggles, because the town had a mix population of wizards and Muggles alike.

"The last time I was here was 16 years ago, Harry, just like you", Sirius said, as they headed towards the church - or rather, towards the cemetery in the church yard.

"Can you tell me about that night?" Harry asked and Hermione appreciated that he asked, not just demanded an answer, because those memories must have been very painful for Sirius. As a baby, Harry had no memories of that fateful night of Halloween, but Sirius probably hadn't forgotten a single detail.

"I'm afraid I don't have much to tell - I arrived too late, the house was destroyed, James and Lily were dead", Sirius said grimly. "You were still alive though, and I wanted to take you in myself, being your godfather and therefore your guardian, but then Hagrid arrived and told me of Dumbledore's orders to take you to your Muggle relatives. So I lent him my flying motorcycle and then I made the mistake of going after Pettigrew - you know how that turned out."

They were all silent for a while after that. Hermione took Harry's hand in hers, hoping to convey that even if he didn't have his parents anymore, he still had friends and Sirius was there too, and the Weasleys, which were like a family not just to Harry but to Hermione as well.

"It's really a pity that you didn't get to know James and Lily, Harry. Lily was incredibly kind to everyone and James was great fun", Sirius finally said.

"About that - I wanted to ask you why you and my dad and even Lupin bullied Snape back in your time at Hogwarts. I saw it in one of Snape's memories and it didn't paint a very pretty picture, so I really hope you didn't just do it because it was fun", Harry said, and there was a trace of accusation in his voice, Hermione noticed.

"Although we also did it because it was fun, the main reason behind it was that Snape was into the dark arts ever since then. He was inventing all sort of nasty spells - in fact, you should know, Harry, I hear you used Sectumsempra on poor Draco here."

"I tried to use Crucio on him, so I can't hold it against him", Draco spoke up.

"Exactly, it wasn't Harry's fault!" Ron defended his friend loyally.

"Oh ,yeah, I don't think I ever apologized to you directly for it. I had no idea what that spell would do", Harry said to Draco and Hermione was proud of her friend for it.

"Well, I survived, so I guess that's what matters", Draco replied amiably.

"I certainly hope you've put your differences behind you, boys, because we'll have enough enemies to fight soon, we can't afford fighting among ourselves", Sirius pointed out.

They finally reached the cemetery, but given that none of them had ever been there before (not even Sirius, who'd been imprisoned shortly after the Potters' deaths), they had no idea where Harry's parents were buried. So they spread out, reading the headstones, and Hermione was surprised to see many familiar names, but then eventually she was the one who found the Potters' headstone. She called out and as they joined her, Hermione could tell Harry and Sirius were feeling very emotional while reading the inscription "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

"'The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death' Harry read aloud. After a moment of silence, he added: "Isn't that a Death Eater idea? Why is that there?"

"It doesn't mean defeating death in the way the Death Eaters mean it, Harry," she said gently, trying to explain it the way she understood it. "It means... you know... living beyond death. Living after death."

Harry didn't look convinced, so she took his hand again and gripped it tightly, making sure he felt he was not alone.

"They deserved better", Sirius said, and Hermione could feel herself tearing up. She moved her head to the side, to wipe the tears from her eyes, but then she saw something that froze her in place.

"There's someone there. Someone watching us. I can tell. There, over by the bushes" she told her friends.

They stood quite still, gazing at the dense black boundary of the graveyard.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked.

"I saw something move, I could have sworn I did..." she broke off but her free hand was on her wand. She wanted to be prepared just in case.

"Maybe it was a cat or something", Ron said.

"I didn't see anything either", Draco said.

"Well, best not to linger though", Sirius prompted. "Let's go see your parents' house, Harry, and then we really should start looking for clues as to where a horcrux might be hidden. It could even be there, at the house - after all, that place is not only significant to us", he added glumly and Hermione shivered.

To think Voldemort might have hidden a horcrux in the rubble of the Potters' house would be blasphemy to them, but to him it might make sense, in a twisted way.

Just then they reached their destination. The Fidelius Charm must have died with James and Lily because the house was visible, and although most of it was still standing, the hedge had grown wild and the grass was waist-high. The house was entirely covered in ivy and snow, but the right side of the top floor had been blown apart.

"I wonder why nobody's ever rebuilt it?" Hermione whispered.

"Maybe you can't rebuild it?" Harry replied. "Maybe it's like the injuries from Dark Magic and you can't repair the damage?", he suggested as he put a hand on the rusted gate.

"You're not going to go inside? It looks unsafe, it might — oh, Harry, look!" Hermione said louder than intended, because Harry's touch seemed to have triggered some form of magic. A sign had risen out of the ground in front of them, up through the tangles of nettles and weeds, like some bizarre, fast-growing flower, and in golden letters upon the wood it said: 'On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981, Lily and James Potter lost their lives. Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard ever to have survived the Killing Curse. This house, invisible to Muggles, has been left in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters and as a reminder of the violence that tore apart their family'.

All around the neatly lettered words, scribbles had been added by other witches and wizards who had come to see the place where the Boy Who Lived had escaped. Some had just signed their names in Everlasting Ink, others had carved their initials into the wood, others had left messages. The most recent of these, shining brightly over sixteen years' worth of magical graffiti, all said similar things. 'Good luck, Harry, wherever you are. If you read this, Harry, we're all behind you! Long live Harry Potter."

"They shouldn't have written on the sign!" said Hermione, indignant. Although the messages were all well intended, to carve their initials or write their names didn't sit right with her - graffiti and carvings in trees or, in this case, the Potter's house, was something she disapproved of.

But Harry was beaming as he said "It's brilliant. I'm glad they did. I..."

He didn't end his sentence, he was overcome with emotion, and, looking at Sirius, Hermione could tell that the older man was feeling similarly strong emotions.

Hermione knew she was going to cry - again - but she just couldn't help herself.

"I'm just glad that people came here to pay respects and that it became a memorial. It proves that my parents live on in people's hearts even if it's been 16 years since they were killed", Harry said.

"Well, now that we've visited these places, time to try to find where a Gryffindor horcrux might be hidden," Sirius said.

"It could be right here, shall we check?" Ron asked no one in particular.

"Maybe we should take out the Sword of Gryffindor, it might react to anther Gryffindor object nearby", Harry proposed.

Hermione hadn't heard of such thing ever happening, but any idea was good at the moment.

She took out the sword, which she'd stored safely in her handbag, just in case they found a horcrux and needed to destroy it.

"If there's a horcrux hidden somewhere in Godric's Hollow, this house would be the most likely place", Harry said, as he took the sword and pointed it towards the Potters' house. "It would have the most meaning for Voldemort."

He'd only just ended his sentence when suddenly they were surrounded by figures who'd apparated all around them.

"You've got half a dozen wands pointing at you and we don't care who we curse!" the rasping voice of one of the men warned them. "So don't even think of trying anything funny!"

But their enemies didn't know that, except Draco, they were all Gryffindors, so not putting up a fight wasn't in their nature.

Hermione already had her wand in her hand so she attacked fiercely, the problem was that the others hadn't been as prepared - Harry and Sirius were still too emotional to react quickly and although Draco and Ron were also firing spells at their enemies, it was clear to her their defeat was imminent. Harry did manage to get his wand out at some point, but before he could cast, a spell Hermione deflected ricocheted and hit his wand, which made a sickening crunching sound.

She felt dreadful, but at least Harry managed to put his wand safely away before he got captured. Hermione didn't waste any time, she aimed her wand directly to Harry's face, hitting him with a Stinging Jinx. She regretted causing him pain on top of probably destroying his wand, but she couldn't afford to let their assailants see they'd captured Harry Potter. The darkness was still hiding his face, but Lumos would take away their advantage in a second.

The time it took for her to cast the Stinging Jinx, made her vulnerable to attack, so she was captured too, they were all captured eventually and then the questioning begin.

"Stupid of you to say the Dark Lord's name, which is Taboo now - but makes our job so much easier. Now, let's see who we've snatched", one of them said, who, Hermione thought, was probably the leader.

The snatchers lit their wands with Lumos and looked at each of them.

"Now here's a great sword - fitting for someone my size", a raspy voice said and to Hermione's horror, she saw that it was Fenrir Greyback, the werewolf.

"Oi, Scabior, that's Sirius Black, innit?" one of their captors asked. "We'll get a great bounty for him!"

Scabior, the presumed leader, looked at Sirius and his eyes gleamed with greed. "Yes, we've got ourselves a good catch!"

The others were basically rubbing their hands together, as if already counting reward money.

"But who are the rest?" Scabior asked.

"That's Draco Malfoy, though why he's hanging out with Sirius Black, I couldn't tell you!" Greyback said.

Sirius saw the potential for disaster because he spoke up.

"We captured him that time when you lot killed Dumbledore in the Astronomy Tower - he's under the Imperius Curse!"

Luckily the Snatchers were too pleased to be the ones returning Draco to his parents, anticipating an even greater reward, to question that story.

The problem was with the rest of them - although Harry did brilliantly in impersonating a Slytherin called Vernon Dudley, Hermione and Ron's faces were still recognizable, and the Snatchers figured out that they might be the ones "known to be traveling with Harry Potter", which in turn made them look closer at Harry's disfigured face, enough to catch on he might be 'The Chosen one.'

The worst part was that they decided to take them all to Malfoy Manor instead of the Ministry, which wasn't good news, because apparently that was Voldemort's new headquarters.

But there was nothing they could do about it - a moment later, they'd side disapparated with the Snatchers and were now standing in front of the iron gates of Draco's home.

At the gates, it was Narcissa Malfoy who 'greeted' them - although it was really only her son she had eyes for.

"Draco!" Narcissa cried out, hugging Draco. "I can't believe it's really you."

"Apparently he's been kept under the Imperius Curse, ma'am - he's still pretty out of it, hasn't said much", Scabior told Narcissa.

"And the others?"

"Looks for yourself - it's Harry Potter and his friends, with the added bonus of Sirius Black."

"Greetings, cousin!" Sirius said derisively, but Narcissa only sneered at him and motioned everyone forward and they were all taken inside Malfoy Manor.

They had a momentary reprieve given the fact that Voldemort wasn't there at the moment, but Hermione dreaded the moment he'd finally arrive. If they were still there at that time, they were as good as dead, every single one of them, so they had to find a way to escape before Voldemort came back.

Lucius Malfoy's face showed brief happiness and relief in seeing his son, but then it was replaced by a look of suspicion.

"Draco", he said coldly, "I thought you were a hostage of the Order of the Phoenix, so what are you doing with these people?"

"I'm not quite sure, father. They've been keeping me under the Imperius curse, probably to have a bargaining chip in case it was needed. But my head is all foggy, I really couldn't tell you more."

"Never mind now, I'm so glad you're home, Draco", Narcissa said as she continued holding on to her son and gave her husband a reprimanding look.

Hermione was glad that Narcissa loved her son enough to not let Lucius Malfoy badger him with questions he might not have the answers to.

"Well, well, Draco's back and he brought me a present", Bellatrix Lestrange said, as she made her way into the room. "My dear cousin", she addressed Sirius, "how nice for you to drop by - I've been meaning to get a second chance at killing you ever since our previous meeting at the Ministry."

"Not yet, Bellatrix", Lucius says. "We might need him."

Bellatrix pouted. "As long as it's me who gets to kill him", she warned.

"And these are...?" Lucius asked his wife.

"They say they've got Potter", Narcissa replied, pointing to Harry, but Lucius clearly wasn't sure of his identity, looking at Harry's deformed face.

"You've been traveling with them so tell us, who is this, Draco?" Bellatrix asked.

"I have no idea, aunt Bellatrix, I've already told you, they kept me under the Imperius curse, I wasn't aware of what was going on around me half the time."

Bellatrix wasn't convinced and Hermione was terrified of what she'd do to Draco and to all of them if she caught on that her nephew was on their side and lying to her.

"But you know Potter's face best", his father argued, "so look closely."

"I can't be sure", Draco said, playing his part as someone confused and recently released from the Imperious curse to perfection.

"We had better be certain, Lucius," Narcissa called to her husband in her cold, clear voice. "Completely sure that it is Potter, before we summon the Dark Lord..."

"All right, never mind him then, what about these two? They're the Granger girl and the Weasley boy, surely! Isn't that proof enough?" Bellatrix pointed out.

"Yes, that's Granger, she was in Madam Malkin's with Potter! I saw her picture in the Prophet", Narcissa said, and Hermione knew that they were all one step away from being killed.

They'd figured it out, they were going to call Voldemort and it would all be over.

Lucius Malfoy had already ripped up his own sleeve to touch his Dark Mark but then suddenly, Bellatrix shrieked "STOP! Do not touch it, we shall all perish if the Dark Lord comes now!"

Lucius froze, his index finger hovering over his own Mark.

Hermione was curious to see what it was that saved them from certain death - or at least postponed the moment, because they were far from safe. She watched Bellatrix stride over to Greyback and pointing at the Sword of Gryffindor.

"Where did you get this sword?" Bellatrix whispered to Greyback.

She didn't wait for him to answer but hit him and the rest of the Snatchers with Stupefy, which stunned them but only made the werewolf fall to his knees and lose his grip on the sword. Bellatrix took the sword and asked again "Where did you find this sword?" brandishing it in his face. "Snape sent it to my vault in Gringotts!"

"They had it", rasped Greyback. "Release me, I say!"

Bellatrix released the werewolf and ordered Draco to take the snatchers outside. Although Bellatrix talked to Draco like he was a weakling, Hermione took it as a good sign that he was given such a task - it meant that Bellatrix trusted him, or at least that she was distracted enough not to entertain any further suspicions regarding Draco's allegiance.

Despite Narcissa and Lucius protesting about Bellatrix ordering them around, it was clear the deranged witch was the one in charge. She looked even madder than usual, so no one dared argue.

"Take these prisoners down to the cellar, Greyback."

Just as Hermione hoped they'd find a way to escape from the cellar, her hopes were crushed when Bellatrix added: "Wait, all except... except for the Mudblood."

Hermione could feel the blood draining from her face - she was brave, but facing Bellatrix in her current maniacal state wasn't something she was looking forward to.

"No!" shouted Ron. "You can have me, keep me!"

Bellatrix hit him across the face, the blow echoing around the room and Hermione hoped he'd know not to say anything anymore. There was no getting through to Bellatrix now, that much was clear. But she was grateful to Ron for trying to save her.

She looked at Draco but his expression was frozen, not giving away any of his feelings. She knew he had no choice but to go along with his aunt - if not, his cover would be blown and then his life and his parents' lives would be in danger.

"If she dies under questioning, I'll take you next," Bellatrix told Ron. "Blood traitor is next to Mudblood in my book. Take them downstairs, Greyback, and make sure they are secure, but do nothing more to them — yet."

Hermione was relieved that at least her friends were safe for now.

But soon she couldn't focus on her friends or on anything other than the pain, as Bellatrix used the torture curse on her. She kept on asking how they got into her vault and what else they'd taken from there and although Hermione told her again and again that they hadn't been in her vault, Bellatrix was like a lunatic, she kept on insisting and torturing her and Hermione could do nothing else other than to scream.

Hermione told her the sword was a fake, hoping that would convince Bellatrix that they hadn't been in her vault - which seemed to be the issue that had unhinged her even more than she already was.

"A copy?" Bellatrix screeched. "Oh, a likely story!"

"But we can find out easily!" Lucius Malfoy observed. "Draco, fetch the goblin, he can tell us whether the sword is real or not!"

Hermione knew that a goblin could easily tell that this was the real sword of Gryffindor, so she was probably as good as dead. She looked at Draco, as he went down to the cellar, his face a mask of grim determination.

She was afraid of what he was going to do to save her - but it was clear he'd reached the limit of his endurance... just like she felt like she was hanging on by a thread. But now she had hope to keep her alive and sane - because Draco going to the cellar meant he would unlock Sirius, Harry and Ron and whoever else was in there, so they could come rescue her, and Draco could keep his cover. It was the best course of action and Draco was smart enough to figure it out.

When Draco came back with the goblin, he gave a barely visible nod to Hermione, so she felt reassured he'd freed the 'prisoners'.

Also, Hermione was sure her friends had talked to the goblin, telling him to say that the sword was a fake - but for now he was analyzing the sword carefully.

A moment later there was a sound from the cellar and Lucius noticed it. "What was that? Did you hear that? What was that noise in the cellar?" he asked and when Draco looked like he was going to go 'check it out' himself, his father added "Draco — no, call Wormtail! Make him go and check!"

The goblin was still looking at the sword closely and there was complete silence although at some point, there was another strange sound from downstairs and Lucius called down "What is it, Wormtail?"

"Nothing! All fine!" came the answer.

Hermione thought the voice didn't sound quite right, like it was someone - Ron perhaps? - impersonating Wormtail but no one else caught on.

"Well?" Bellatrix asked the goblin. "Is it the true sword?"

"No," came the answer. "It is a fake."

Hermione was relieved that the goblin had lied, but she was almost beyond caring. She could feel her consciousness slipping away, as she heard everything as if from far away.

"Are you sure? Quite sure?"

"Yes."

"Good", Bellatrix said and continued, triumphantly. "And now we call the Dark Lord!"

She pushed back her sleeve and touched her forefinger to the Dark Mark.

Hermione wondered why her rescuers didn't show up already - they had no time left if Voldemort was on his way.

"And I think" Bellatrix spoke again, "we can dispose of the Mudblood. Greyback, take her if you want her."

Hermione closed her eyes hoping that her death would be easier somehow that way, but then opened them again as she heard a shout of "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" and Ron burst into the drawing room.

That was the last thing she heard before she lost consciousness, her last thought being that she hoped everyone made it out alive.

---

Hermione opened her eyes to see that it was nighttime and she was in her bed in the room she had at Grimmauld Place.

Relief swept through her to know that she was safe, but then she thought of her friends.

Draco was sleeping in a chair next to her bed, so he, at least was safe, and still with her, not back at Malfoy Manor.

"Draco", she called gently, not wanting to scare him but at the same time wanting to find out what had happened.

"Hermione!" he cried, when he saw her awake, and she felt tears falling now that he'd finally called her by her first name.

"I'm so glad you're awake!" Draco added, hugging her carefully, as if she was made of fragile porcelain.

"How long was I asleep? How are the others, Harry, Ron, Sirius? And what about the goblin? And was there anyone else in the cellar?"

"You didn't wake up for a couple of days - had me worried to death! And I'll tell you everything, but please don't get too agitated, you're still not fully recovered!" he told her, while holding her hand.

"All right, then", Hermione said as she leaned back down on her pillows. "Tell me everything. The last thing I heard was Ron coming in the drawing room, but I want to know what you talked with him and Harry and Sirius when you went down to the cellar to get the goblin."

"Well, I unlocked the cellar, obviously. Luna Lovegood and Dean Thomas were also there, plus Ollivander and that goblin, Griphook is what Potter called him. They told me they'd called for help through that shard of enchanted mirror and they asked Griphook to lie about the sword being the real one. We also agreed that I should maintain my cover - but Hermione, you have to believe me, I really didn't want to. I wanted to hit my aunt with the Cruciatus curse - with the killing curse even, for what she was doing to you! I couldn't even watch half the time, but then I didn't want to let you out of my sight either!" he told her, his voice frantic to make her understand, but Hermione understood all to well.

"Draco, I'm perfectly aware of the impossible situation you were in and if I could tell you what to do, I would have told you to do the same thing, maintain your cover", she told him emphatically, squeezing his hand in reassurance. "The fact that you unlocked the cellar was essential and all that you needed to do under the circumstances. So tell me what happened next."

"Well, like you said, Weasley burst into the room with Potter and Black right behind him. A fight ensued and I had to feign I was fighting against them. Potter disarmed me at some point, which was completely reasonable because if none of them attacked me outright, it would have looked suspicious. I aimed off all of my spells, so I can only hope I made it look realistic."

Hermione nodded but didn't say anything - she didn't want to interrupt him because she was really anxious to find out if her friends were OK.

"Then my aunt Bellatrix grabbed you, holding a knife to your throat. I thought everything was lost then", he confessed. "But then Dobby saved the day - he was sent by Dumbledore because with his elf magic he could apparate in and out of Malfoy Manor and he knew the house well, having worked for us for many years. So at first he apparated in the cellar and took Ollivander and Lovegood and Thomas to safety and then he unscrewed the chandelier in the drawing room almost on top of Bellatrix... and you! I admit I was furious with him at the moment for risking your life like that, but it was what gave your friends a new chance to fight and this time they managed to escape - I think it was Black who hit me with a stunning spell and took me with them, so that it would not look like I went willingly. We apparated here, back at Grimmauld Place... but..."

"But what?" Hermione asked, knowing that she'd heard the last of the good news - it was now time for the bad. "Did someone get hurt... or worse?' she asked, her voice trembling.

"My aunt threw that knife after us as we disapparated and it hit Dobby square in the chest."

"Oh no!" Hermione cried out. "Is he...?" she let her words trail off, almost not wanting to know.

"Dead, yes, I'm sorry!"

Hermione couldn't believe that Dobby was gone. They stayed there in the darkness, in silence, for a while.

"What other updates are there?" she finally asked, knowing she couldn't afford to mourn for long. If she'd been asleep for a couple of days, enough time had been wasted.

"Well, the Weasleys are in hiding, some at Aunt Muriel's, some at Bill and Fleur's cottage, both protected by the Fidelius charm. Potter talked to both Griphook and Ollivander. To Griphook he talked about breaking into Gringotts, into my aunt's vault to be more exact because we're convinced there's a horcrux there... that's the only thing that would explain her panic back at Malfoy Manor when she saw the sword which she thought was in her vault. Plus, I've heard her saying it before, that the Dark Lord entrusted her with something important, and where else would she keep something important?"

"Yes, that makes sense. So will Griphook help?"

"He will, but he asked for the Sword of Gryffindor as payment."

"I'm not surprised, they consider all goblin made objects as theirs, no matter who pays for them", Hermione said. It wasn't that big a loss - they still had basilisk fangs to destroy horcruxes with, plus, the sword showed itself to Gryffindors who needed it and were worthy of it, so even if the goblin would get the sword, it would only be a matter of time before it was returned to Gryffindor House. It was, truly, the sword of Gryffindor.

"So when are we breaking into Gringotts?" she asked Draco.

"As soon as we figure out a way to overcome all the obstacles in the way to getting into my aunt's vault. It's one of the best protected vaults, so it's not going to be easy. That's basically all we've been talking while your were unconscious."

Hermione digested that, then decided to move on.

"What did Harry want to talk to Ollivander about?" Hermione asked.

"Wands, mostly", he said with a smirk, as she rolled her eyes.

"Obviously, I meant the particulars of the conversation", she replied with a smile, knowing he was just trying to lighten the mood.

"First, he wanted to know if his wand could be mended."

Hermione bit her lip in guilt - it was because of her that Harry's wand had been broken.

"It can't be mended', Draco said sadly, and Hermione lowered her eyes. "But I offered to let him keep my wand - I told you he disarmed me back at Malfoy Manor so I reckon he can keep it for now... until the war is over and he can get a new one. I've found a replacement too in the meantime."

Hermione knew the close bond between a wizard or a witch and their wand, so Draco's gesture was impressive and altruistic.

"That was really nice of you, thank you, Draco!"

"It was the least I could do under the circumstances. Anyway, Potter also talked to Ollivander about the connection between his wand and the Dark Lord's - and about whether one has to kill the previous owner of a wand to gain its allegiance or it's enough to simply disarm. They also talked about the Dark Lord going after the Elder Wand which rests in Dumbledore's fake tomb - although Ollivander had no idea whether the Elder Wand or any of the Deathly Hallows actually existed. In any case, Potter had a vision of his and apparently the Dark Lord already went to take the Elder Wand."

Hermione sighed, but she wasn't surprised. Dumbledore had foreseen this event, and prepared for it.

The next couple of weeks were spent discussing means of getting into Bellatrix's vault, and Hermione was glad that she could take part in the discussion because she came up with solutions to several problems. Lupin had visited to let them know about the birth of his son, Teddy Remus, and asking Harry to be the godfather, which Hermione thought was very touching. They'd said goodbye to Mr. Ollivander, Luna and Dean and at last, they were ready to go - as ready as they'd ever be, at least.

Although necessary, Hermione dreaded transforming into Bellatrix Lestrange, but it was their best shot at getting into her vault, and a long, coarse hair that had stuck to the sweater Hermione had been wearing at Malfoy Manor added to the Polyjuice Potion made it possible. She also loathed using Bellatrix's wand, which they'd gotten from her before their escape, but it was the key element that would give authenticity to her claim.

Ron, Draco and Sirius had suffered numerous alterations to their appearance, as Hermione expertly worked on making them unrecognizable. She didn't have to do the same for Harry, as he and Griphook would be hiding under the Invisibility Cloak.

They exited Grimmauld Place and disapparated, landing near the Leaky Cauldron, as planned. The bar was nearly deserted, which was a plus, so they quickly entered Diagon Alley and headed to Gringotts. Hermione was saluted by several wizards and witches, all of whom respectfully addressed her as 'Madam Lestrange'. It took a couple of tries for Hermione to get her polite nature under control so as not to make people suspicious.

Other encounters weren't as nice, at some point a man begged Hermione - Bellatrix, really - to tell him where his children are. She was shocked, but couldn't afford to let herself fall apart. What they were doing was too important.

The most dangerous encounter was with Travers, a Death Eater who knew Bellatrix well - or, at least, as well as anyone could really know the deranged witch. It was from him that they found out that all of those who'd been at Malfoy Manor were confined to the house after their escape and Hermione wondered how else Voldemort had punished them. For Draco's sake, she hoped the retribution hadn't been too harsh.

Travers didn't look completely convinced by Sirius, Ron and Draco's false identities, but he joined 'Bellatrix' to Gringotts bank all the same. The goblins there seemed suspicious too, and Hermione feared for the worst, but eventually they managed to pass through security check and convince the goblins to take them to Bellatrix's vault - but it turned out Harry had used the Imperius curse on both Bogrod and Travers, and while she didn't exactly approve of the use of Unforgivable curses, but now was not the time to feel skittish about such things.

"What do we do?" asked Ron. "Shall we get out now, while we can?"

His question was valid - now that they were clearly under suspicion, going forward with their plan was extremely dangerous, even more so than before.

"If we can," she replied, looking back toward the door into the main hall, beyond which who knew what was happening.

"We've got this far, I say we go on", Harry argued and Sirius seconded him so in the end they decided to do just that. After all, they'd probably never get another chance to get the horcrux inside the vault - if there really was one, in which case there was no chance of taking down Voldemort.

Harry used the Imperius curse to make Travis go hide, while the rest of them followed Bogrod into a cart which would lead them to the vault.

Hermione thought they'd gotten away with it until they reached a waterfall, at which point Griphook shouted "No", but it was too late, and the cart flipped over, making them all fall out.

She immediately used a Cushioning Charm to break their fall, as they pulled themselves to their feet.

"The Thief's Downfall!" said Griphook. "It washes away all enchantment, all magical concealment! They know there are impostors in Gringotts, they have set off defenses against us!"

But even so, they had no chance but to do their best to reach Bellatrix's vault and retrieve the horcrux. With Griphook leading the way, they finally reached the vault, but not before passing by a partially blind dragon, who had been trained to expect pain at the sound of the Clankers that Griphook handed out - something which Hermione found barbaric.

It wasn't the right time to be discussing dragon rights though, and as they entered the vault, they started looking for Hufflepuff's Cup, the only horcrux they knew for sure what it looked like, from Harry's description. The problem was that if there was a horcrux there, it could very well have been a different one, something belonging to either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. To make matters worse, they had the Geminio and Flagrante Curses to deal with, so their mission seemed impossible until Harry finally spotted the cup.

"Accio Cup", Hermione casted the summoning charm but it didn't work and Griphook reminded her it was no use trying to summon the cup.

Harry, however, had the idea of retrieving the cup using the Sword of Gryffindor, but there was still the matter of reaching the cup, because it was situated up and out of their reach.

"Levicorpus!" chanted Hermione, hoping to lift Harry close enough to the cup so that he could reach it with the sword.

Her idea backfired, however, because in his ascent Harry hit a suit of armor which created replicas that burnt them all where it touched them, which caused a chain reaction as they hit even more objects from the vault which started multiplying.

"Impervius!" Hermione screeched, desperate to find a way to protect them all from the burning metal, but the spell wasn't powerful enough in that situation.

And to make matters worse, Griphook decided he'd had enough and that it was time for him to get the sword - what's worse, he succeeded, and left them there while also shouting "Thieves, help!" as if he hadn't helped them break into the vault all along.

Hermione hadn't even been able to figure out if Harry had gotten the cup or not. At the moment it was more important to escape, because there were goblins advancing towards them. They all cast stunning spells but their opponents were numerous.

However, Harry had a brilliant, yet dangerous idea, which impressed Hermione: he cast Relashio to release the dragon form its chains and then prompted them to climb on it.

Once on top of the dragon, however, a new problem emerged.

"We'll never get out, it's too big!" Hermione screamed, but the dragon opened its mouth and belched flame, blasting the tunnel, whose floors and ceiling cracked and crumbled. By sheer force, the dragon clawed and crawled its way through, and Hermione helped it to enlarge the passageway by using Defodio, Sirius and the boys following her lead.

They finally managed to get clear by the combined force of their spells and the dragon's brute strength, out from Gringotts and into Diagon Alley and from there the dragon launched itself into the sky.

Hermione didn't like flying but at the moment she was so happy to get away that she didn't care anymore. Harry confirmed that he'd gotten the horcrux, so right now the only problem was how to get off the dragon. At some point they started losing height and Harry, whom Hermione realized had been the most inspired in this whole Gringotts affair, suggested: "I say we jump when it gets low enough! Straight into the water before it realizes we're here!"

They agreed - Hermione barely managed a faint agreement at the thought of jumping off a dragon and into a lake - but it turned out all right. The water was deep enough and they could swim to the shore.

Hermione collapsed, coughing and shuddering. When she could finally stand, she handed everyone dry clothes to get changed, then passed essence of dittany all around, and used some herself, to soothe and heal the angry red burns all over her face and arms. They were all eager to ease their aches so no one said anything until Ron finally spoke up.

"Well, on the upside, we got the Horcrux. On the downside, now that we've broken into Gringotts..."

Hermione finished his sentence: "You Know Who will know we know about the horcruxes."

She looked at Harry to see what he had to say, but he seemed lost in one of his visions and, true enough, soon he snapped out of it and said "He knows. He knows and he's going to check where the others are, and the last one is at Hogwarts. I knew it. I knew it."

Each time they'd talked about where the last horcrux might be, Harry had said it would be Hogwarts, because the school was a special place for Voldemort, the closest thing to a home he'd ever had, just like in Harry's case. Hermione had tended to agree with that theory, but on the other hand it had been such an obvious place to hide a horcrux, she'd had her doubts. She was glad they finally cleared up that doubt.

However, Harry and Sirius both insisted they went to Hogwarts immediately.

"Wait, wait!" she cried. "We can't just go, we haven't got a plan, we need to..."

"We need to get going," said Harry firmly. "Can you imagine what he's going to do once he realizes the ring and the locket are gone? What if he moves the Hogwarts Horcrux, decides it isn't safe enough?

"But how are we going to get in?" Draco asked.

"We'll go to Hogsmeade," said Harry, "but first, Hermione, get out a basilisk fang and destroy this". He handed her the Hufflepuff Cup horcrux.

Hermione didn't argue, Harry was right, once again. Now that Voldemort knew they were after the horcruxes, there was no time to waste.

She retrieved a basilisk fang from her beaded bag and stabbed the cup with it... compared to how hard it had been to get it, the horcrux had been so easy to destroy.

"One more down, one more to go", said Ron.

"Two, actually", corrected Draco. "Don't forget the snake."

"Bloody hell", Ron cursed.

"The snake will be with him, at Hogwarts, and soon, so let's go, now!" Harry insisted.

"At least tell Dumbledore first", Hermione told Harry. "Tell him that You Know Who knows we're after the horcruxes and that that the last one is at Hogwarts so he can send the Order there and all of our allies - it's clear that the final battle will take place there, and soon!"

Harry did as she asked him, using the ever useful mirror shard, and then, throwing all caution to the wind, they turned on the spot together, disapparating into the unknown dangers that awaited them.