Chapter 75
"What do you want Draco?" Blaise was faintly annoyed as Draco stepped out of the Floo. Snapping shut the book he was reading, he walked over to the fireplace from the couch he had been lounging on. "I'm meeting Daphne soon."
Shacklebolt had told him to go to Blaise first, but Draco wasn't sure how his friend would react. Instead, he had talked with Pansy and Millie before coming to the Zabini household, feeling more confident his two long-time friends would turn if they knew a different life was possible. At the very least, they wouldn't rat him out.
Draco wasn't sure about Daphne, and he had no intention of going to Greg and Vince. The Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors were better bets, considering how some of them reacted during the prisoner execution, but it was all dangerous.
Luna's defiant blue eyes flashed before him and, clenching his jaw to quell his rising bile, he Occluded the memory of her murder to focus on the task at hand. Seeking out defectors was part of achieving absolution. Danger didn't matter.
Draco closed in on Blaise, closer than was normal for a friendly conversation. His friend tensed, at once sensing that Draco wasn't there for a social call. Draco whispered softly. "If you knew that the Dark Lord could die, would you fight against him?"
Blaise was a wild card. Impossible to read on a good day, and Draco wasn't as close to him since the Zabinis only arrived at Hogwarts from Italy in fifth year.
Blaise dropped all pretense of disinterest and whispered back, brown eyes locked on his. "Are you trying to get me killed?"
Silently, Draco turned his head back and forth.
Blaise's eyes widened slightly and he exhaled a short breath in surprise. "You're serious."
Draco kept his voice low. "He can die. His power has been weakening. We need help."
"We?" Blaise dropped book he was holding. It thudded on the floor, completely forgotten. "You're a spy?"
Draco didn't answer, but stared right back at Blaise, trying to determine what his friend was thinking. If only he had an ounce of ability as a Legilimens. Shacklebolt better be right because Blaise was unreadable. His heart thudded rapidly in the tense silence between them.
Draco leaned in more closely, and Blaise backed up an inch. Draco whispered again. "Your mum won't be able to protect you anymore. He'll make you take the mark so you'll have to fight at Hogwarts regardless. Which side do you want to be on?"
Blaise's Adam's apple bobbed. He was scared, which was encouraging. He didn't want to be a Death Eater, but how loyal was he to the Dark Lord's cause? Draco needed to get Blaise away from his mother for the rest of this conversation. He didn't know where her loyalties lay and she scared the fuck out of him.
As if on cue, the heels of Yasmine Zabini clacked loudly as she stalked into the salon. Before he could turn to face her, Draco was blasted across the room in a flash of orange light. Yasmine's spell knocked him off his feet, before he crashed on the ground and slid across the hard wood floor. Stars clouded his vision when he collided with the far wall and his wand whipped out of his grasp before he could blink.
"Eimmy!" Draco heard Blaise's cry in surprise.
Pain shot through his shoulder and back and Draco cried out, grimacing as he gingerly moved his limbs. His friend ran over to where Draco struggled to raise his head while Yasmine cautiously approached him. Mother and son appeared in his vision above him, standing on either side of his body. Blaise gaped at his mother in shock, Yasmine's eyes flashed with deadly anger.
"Get the hell away from my son, Draco," she growled.
Draco's stomach churned in fear. He had never heard her voice so menacing before.
He was fucked.
"What are you doing?" Blaise exclaimed, not knowing what to make of his mother's behavior.
Draco groaned and pushed himself up to a sitting position, wincing in pain from his neck and shoulders. Yasmine pointed both wands at his chest and his eyes widened in horror. Would she really kill him in front of her son? Maybe he could talk his way out of this? How much had she heard?
Yasmine ignored Blaise's question and took a step back as Draco slowly stood up, shifting his gaze between the two of them.
"Out!" she hissed at him.
Draco exhaled. She wouldn't murder him. At least, not here and now. Did she know Blaise might defect?
"Sometimes," he said, looking directly into her eyes, not doubting she would kill him if he continued speaking with Blaise. "You need to do more than protect your loved ones."
Her lips pulled up into a knowing smile, having had her own words thrown right back at her, but the deadly anger was still there. She shook her head. "I will be at Hogwarts, not Blaise."
"What?" Blaise looked at her, horrified.
"I could only do so much. The Dark Lord will demand you soon," she said without tearing her eyes from Draco. "I will go in your stead." She redirected her ire towards Draco. "Get out!" she spat, tilting her head towards the fireplace.
Blaise clenched his fists. "You can't fight for a maniac that had me torture children all year!"
Draco exhaled in relief. Blaise had no loyalty to the Dark Lord or his cause. He was scared like Millie and Pansy. Yasmine was another matter.
"You're going to fight for the Dark Lord?" Draco asked warily, shifting his gaze between the two.
"No," she shot back, still holding the wands to his chest. "Once Harry Potter is dead, the Dark Lord can be killed. I can get close enough to do it without rousing suspicion. You're not dragging Blaise into this."
Draco staggered and almost fell over in relief. She was working undercover too! And yet - the Order hadn't even known what Hermione was doing until she explained it that night. How did Blaise's mother know? Blaise watched the interaction between them with ever widening eyes, having no clue what was going on.
"How did–" Draco began.
Yasmine cut him off. "Coming here was too dangerous. What did you think you were trying to do?" she hissed. "Never mind. Stop Occluding."
Draco stared dumbly at her but kept his barriers in place. She raised an eyebrow expectantly and he slowly stopped Occluding, gazing into her probing brown eyes. If she knew about the Horcruxes, she could be trusted. Just then he recalled Kingsley's instructions to come to the Zabini household first. But Draco thought he was referring to Blaise. Apparently his mother could be trusted too. After a moment Yasmine nodded in approval.
"Ah," she smirked. "Kingsley sent you." Draco's eyes bulged in amazement. He didn't even feel her enter his mind. And then it clicked. She was the one who had taught Hermione. Her red lips smirked even wider at his realization and she spoke. "Pansy and Millicent? You can do better than that. The Bulstrodes will turn. All of them. Not just Millicent."
"What?" How did she know? She must have been reading people's minds this whole time.
"The MacMillans also."
"But–" Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was why Kingsley wanted him to come to the Zabini's. It wasn't for Blaise; it was for his mother. Yasmine was an even better Legilimens than the Dark Lord. She could do it nonverbally and undetected. Draco had never heard of such a thing.
Thoughts of Kingsley reminded him of Hermione's frightening and impassioned defense of his character. She was more brutal than she let on and his heart swelled in perverse satisfaction as he remembered how she threatened Shacklebolt. Maybe he could sneak in some time to see her in between his visits to potential defectors.
Yasmine cocked her head in interest.
"The Flints. The parents, not the son."
"No, I wouldn't have thought Marcus," he agreed.
Blaise stood still, clenching and unclenching his fists, watching the two of them go back and forth.
Yasmine shook head and waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind, don't bother with them, they'll try to convince Marcus and he'll betray the Order."
"Oh."
"Go to the Puceys instead. And the Turpins. And of course, your mother."
"Will my–"
"No, your father will not."
Draco's gut twisted nervously. This would get complicated. He had to get his mother away. What could he do with his father? He wondered if she knew what was going on with Severus.
"Snape."
Blaise's mother turned to him, scrutinizing the expression on his face. "I can't read that man, but from your memories he's clearly on the Order's side. Oh and Draco?" He raised his eyebrows at her light tone. Yasmine's lips spread in a sweet smile that revealed none of the deadly anger of the previous moment. "Tighten that collar on your lioness. I don't want to hurt her, but I will."
Goosebumps spread up and down his arms as he felt the blood drain from his face. Yasmine was the one Hermione had threatened to blackmail Kingsley over.
Bloody buggering hell. Hermione was insane. Didn't she know who she was dealing with?
"She won't." His words came out in a rush as he tried to reassure her. "I didn't want her to."
Yasmine pointed his wand at his heart. "You better ensure she listens."
He nodded wordlessly, realizing that in addition to reducing the risk of finding defectors by sending Draco to the Zabini's, Kingsley had completely neutralized Hermione as a threat, without implicating himself in the slightest.
Fucking snake. Yasmine flashed her teeth at him.
"What's. Going. On?" Blaise ground out.
She turned to her son with that same sweet smile. "Blaise, be a dear and get a quill and parchment for your friend. There are several more."
Blaise glared at her mutinously. "I'm fighting, Eimmy. You're not going in my stead."
Flaring her nostrils in irritation, she brushed a lock of long dark hair over her shoulder. "We'll talk about this later. Draco and I have some work to do."
Draco raised his eyebrows, both relieved and… utterly terrified. "You're coming with me?"
"Yes," her brown eyes bored into his. "You were lucky coming here. Your luck will run out."
Blaise stared at his mother and her expression slowly saddened. She already knew what he was going to ask. "Not the Greengrasses. Daphne worked for them long before getting her Dark Mark. I read her thoughts at the Malfoy summer party. She spiked your friends' drinks to see if they were loyal to the Dark Lord. She'll betray you."
Draco's lips parted in hurt surprise. Daphne did that to them? He taught her how to ride a broom properly when she had trouble first year. No wonder Yasmine hated her. Immediately Draco felt sorry for Blaise.
Blaise's face crumpled. "But I love her."
"I'm sorry, habib," Yasmine reached up and stroked his hair. "She'll betray you."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Hermione raised the flap of her tent and let it drop behind her. She was feeling much better physically but needed an afternoon nap after going over the Hogwarts battle plans. Lavender and Dean were excited to be effectively using their months of training again and thrilled to show off their talents to the awe of the remainder of the Order. Morale was gradually getting better.
Hermione left while Tonks broke everyone up into groups, drilling them on the role they would play the day of the prisoner exchange. The daily muscle relaxant charms helped her function nearly at the capacity she was used to, although Mary still hadn't given her clearance for combat.
Despite her efforts to Occlude during the day, she was still haunted by nightmares of Bellatrix and her knife, and she couldn't stop thinking about how Remus, Fred, Luna, Charlie, Parvati, Terry and the others were gone forever.
She had asked Ginny to hold her a few times while she slept. It wasn't the same feeling of security and comfort that she had in Draco's arms, but it did help. She didn't wake up screaming, and Ginny also took comfort by sleeping with her.
Harry had been moody and distant since Hermione had confessed that he was the final Horcrux. It was awkward to be with him now. The way he acted around her, Ron and Ginny cemented her opinion that she had done the right thing in not telling him the previous year. Leadership resolved not to tell the rest of the Order about his death until closer to the date of the final battle, to keep morale up. They also hadn't mentioned that the prisoners were executed yet.
Hermione had trouble looking Ron and Ginny in the eyes, knowing that two of their brothers were dead. And her voice sounded hollow when she tried to cheer them up, saying she hoped the Order would figure out how to bring them back soon. Hermione was glad she didn't have the responsibility of telling everyone the truth. Hermione hadn't involved herself in the discussions with leadership on that topic. Sometimes, she felt lucky to be younger. None of them expected her to relay the bad news, or decide what the best strategy was in that regard.
Hermione bit her lip to try and stem her tears. She missed Luna. She missed Remus. She missed Charlie, Fred, Parvati and Terry. And she missed Draco so much, worrying about him searching for defectors, and wanted nothing more than to be with him. He was being cautious; he had to be. It was too dangerous lest Voldemort find out what the Order was planning. Hermione hadn't seen him since he last visited the Order. She had been too exhausted from the events of that day, and in too much pain to really spend time with him.
Draco was doing so much for them and fucking Kingsley was martyring him to demonstrate the system worked, playing on his need for absolution. There had to be another way. Maybe Draco would change his mind. One hint that he wanted that pardon and Kingsley would see the business end of her wand. And she'd punch him for good measure.
Hermione ran her hand angrily through her curls, dragging her feet towards her cot when she stopped. There was clearly a Disillusioned figure sitting on her bedspread. Grin spreading from ear to ear, she ran into Draco's arms, tackling him onto the covers. He grunted at the impact and then chuckled as she peppered his face with kisses, landing them in odd places since she couldn't quite see what she was doing. He wrapped his arms around her, gently kissing her lips, face and neck.
"I missed you so much," she whimpered against his mouth. She had almost forgotten how soft his hair and lips were.
"Careful," Draco murmured into her throat. She yearned for his warmth and the feel of his body. Hermione wanted nothing more than to melt into him.
"This is so weird," she said, her voice muffled between her kisses. If felt like she was kissing his cheek and jaw. "I can't really see you."
"Are you cleared for strenuous activity?" he asked while threading his fingers into her hair from her neck, up and around the base of her skull.
"Not yet," she replied, remembering the night Mary had taken out his implant and her detached, technical instructions. "But there are some positions that aren't so strenuous for the female."
"And I doubt this is one of them," Draco spoke into the skin of her cheek and rolled her over to his side. She watched, fascinated, the way the light diffracted over his Disillusioned form. "Get under the covers," he said in a husky voice.
A thrill of excitement shot through her. Anyone could come in and catch them, but it would be fine. Tonks was drilling the different groups on sweeping Hogwarts after the first and second strikes.
She lifted her blanket and climbed underneath, facing the tent opening, and he got under the blankets behind her. Noxxing the lights for good measure, she pressed herself into him while he spooned her, wrapping his arms around her tightly so she could rest her head on his upper arm.
"Where does it hurt?" Draco's hot breath tickled her ear from behind while his hand made its way under her jumper and across her midriff.
"I'm okay actually," Hermione replied with a smile and a quick exhalation of breath. His other hand crept under the fabric of her bra, pushing it up and over her breast. "I just shouldn't overdo – aaah," she gasped as he tugged her nipple gently. "Overdo it."
"Mmmm," he sucked her earlobe into his mouth and she pressed her bum into his erection, reaching back to grab his arse and hold him closer to her. "So there's nothing bothering you..." his voice trailed off as hand reached down to rub her between her legs. "In this area?" A hot ache spread through her core and he ground his length into her rear.
"It could use some attention," Hermione panted while he gently fondled her breast. His other hand deftly worked the button and zipper of her jeans open.
Draco shoved her jeans down past her bum and Hermione squirmed against him, trying to shuck her jeans off while his fingers made their way to her curls. She desperately tried to open his zipper from behind but couldn't with the way he was grinding into her rear.
"Some stimulation?" he offered, his fingers already entering her passageway and slicking her clit with her arousal.
"Some stimulation might be in order – aaah!" she moaned while his fingers circled her clit and she bucked into his hand. Finally, she managed to get his fly open, but couldn't push down his trousers. Frustrated, she turned around to face him. With the lights off, she could barely even see his outline. Hermione felt around his abdomen, took ahold of the waist and pulled them down to his knees.
"Put your cock inside me, Malfoy."
She turned back around, shoved her rear against his erection and brought his hand back between her legs. "Then get me off."
"You think you can tell me what to do?" Draco growled in her ear. But he did as she asked, positioned himself from behind and entered her with a moan.
She gasped at the hot, hard intrusion. "Of course I can!"
"Bossy," he chuckled, circling her clit with his fingers. "Swot." He massaged her breast and rocked his body into her.
"Quit talking, Malfoy. You're not–" She groaned, breathless, nearly there. "–paying attention."
He rubbed her clit and thrust into her when suddenly the lights flicked on.
Ginny walked into the tent.
Next chapter: The other, other Golden Trio. Draco, Hermione and Ginny.
