authorsnote: I've been wrestling for a while with the direction I want this story to go in and I think I've got it.
do enjoy, tell me your thoughts
songrecs: out of time - the weeknd
It took fifteen minutes before Ron calmed down enough to listen to him, and once he did, once Harry explained it had been Dumbledore, Dumbledore, that had told him 'Three must become four', all of the fight left Ron, just as it had Harry.
They wouldn't question Dumbledore, even now he was gone; he'd said as much to Scrigmour hadn't he, 'Dumbledores man through and through' that didn't change just because Dumbledore was gone.
Harry didn't like it, and he knew by the looks of them Ron and Hermione didn't even, but none of them had to like it, they just had to get on with it, as he had promised Dumbledore; he wasn't about to break that promise, especially now.
"He's in the Room of Requirement" Harry said as they made their way inside, away from the funeral, away from the mourners, Harry was relieved to be away from it all, even if it meant going to see Malfoy of all people, "We'll discuss the plan, and go from there"
Both nodded and Harry felt himself warm inside a touch at the truth of their loyalty. He had known of course Ron and Hermione would follow him always, sometimes it had worried him just how so, but now? Now he needed it, it was strength, and he carried that going forward.
"Will we tell him everything?" Hermione asked, and Harry grimaced, he hadn't thought of that, Dumbledore had told him to keep Malfoy close, for Three to become four, but hadn't specified on what they should and shouldn't include him in.
And yet, Malfoy had switched sides … sort ofat least, well, if he hadn't before with jerking his wand down, he surely had now in not leaving with the other Death Eaters out of Hogwarts, especially if his parents were in Order custody, Malfoy was on their side, if for selfish reasons only.
Of course, it was only for selfish reasons, Harry knew Malfoy didn't have a decent, honest bone in his body and was only throwing his lot in with them because the alternative was worse.
"I don't see how we keep stuff from him" He said as they ascended the stairs, "If he's coming on the hunt, it'll be hard to keep secrets, and Dumbledore said we needed"
"Then honesty" Hermione said, though she frowned as she said it.
"What if he goes back to You Know Who?" Ron said with a scowl, "Spills all of our secrets"
"It is a risk" Hermione said too, and Harry nodded, it was a huge risk, and yet Dumbledore had said to bring him into the fold.
His head began to ache, not his scar, but his head, like someone was squeezing on his skull with the amount of pressure he felt put upon it, he longed to have someone to turn to, not in the sense of Ron or Hermione but someone more experienced, someone who could guide him.
He longed to turn his head and see Dumbledore, there with an answer.
And yet that would never happen again.
He screwed up his fists then, and knew he was doing the same with his face, to stop any tears, to stop the barrage of pain that wanted to be released. He didn't have the luxury of grieving, not now and likely not for a while. For now, he had to be completely focused on the task at hand, and it was easier to do so in knowing that was what Dumbledore would have wanted too.
"We could force him to take an unbreakable vow" Ron offered, and he smiled, as if Malfoy would agree to that, it was a nice thought though.
"His family were taken in by the Order, he's a runaway from Voldemort, he'd not stupid enough to try and go back and plead favour" Hermione said, "Malfoy may be many things, most of them awful, but he's not stupid"
"What a ringing endorsement Granger" A voice cut through the air, and Harry felt himself tense, almost an automatic reaction. They had reached the Room of Requirement and Malfoy stood outside, an open door behind him, "But maybe we should gossip inside"
He watched Hermione glare at him before she moved past him, Ron too, ears red, mouth tense, and Harry followed, Malfoy stepping inside too. This was not going to be easy.
If it wasn't Dumbledore, he would have questioned what he had been thinking, but it was, and so Harry knew there had to be a reason, and he needed to go with it.
Three Becomes Four.
He just didn't know how.
Uncomfortable might not have been a strong enough word. Awkward, tense, hostile, perhaps those were better, but none quite captured just how uncomfortable it was.
They sat in a loose circle, Harry at the head point, Malfoy opposite, she and Ron facing one another. A fire crackled in the background, the room was like a cosy room, clearly one of Malfoy's, shown by the green and silver, it was comfortable though, and that was better than nothing.
The silence was not comfortable, stretching out across them all, like an endless rope reaching out, threading forwards, choking the air with tension.
Who would speak first?
"Right" She near smiled, of course it was Harry, the bravest of them all, the one she trusted more than anyone, was loyal to more than anyone, alongside Ron, she'd accepted his instructions from Dumbledore with little question, she may not like it, but she knew it was what they had to do.
She just wasn't sure how it would work when three of the four were best friends, and then there was Malfoy, bully, elitist, racist, and now apparently one of them, needing to work with them. It didn't take someone with her mind to see how that would work or wouldn't rather.
And yet, she was going off Harry's word, Dumbledore's word, and so they'd have to make it work.
"The plan is to leave after Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacours wedding" Harry said, matter of fact, he didn't bother going into anything about them needing to work together, or Dumbledore's trust in them, instead he dove right in, perhaps because it was too painful to speak of his mentor, or perhaps he just wanted this to be over as soon as possible, she could see either or as likely.
"We'll be heading out to hunt for horcruxes, Voldemort made six of them, and we need to destroy them before he can be killed" Harry said, nodding his head, Hermione almost gasped, for how much he was telling Malfoy immediately, but also she knew it was unavoidable, this wouldn't work if they kept secrets. She didn't expect Malfoy to trust them and sure as hell didn't trust him, but secrets would not help.
"Six?" Malfoy raised an eyebrow and Hermione knew hers shot up as did her friends, "I didn't realise he'd made so many, I shouldn't be surprised though, crazy as he is"
"You knew?" Ron asked, ears red likely from agitation but shock stamped across his face.
"It wasn't hard to guess" Malfoy sneered back, "Some of us have more than a bumbling intelligence Weasley"
Hermione felt her back get up at that and before Ron could speak, she dove in, "More like your Father told you" At Malfoy's second sneer, slightly more deflated she knew she was right. Malfoy was intelligent, always nipping at her heels, but he wasn't so good as to unravel the secrets of You Know Who without some help.
"Yes, after I started to work it out, he told me" Malfoy shot back, "So the diary is destroyed" He glanced at Harry then and smirked, "Thanks to Potter here, what about the rest? Any luck?"
Harry paused then, before continuing, no secrets, but it was difficult to trust, especially with Malfoy as antagonistic and downright infuriating as he was, but what choice did they have?
It would have been hard to let anyone into their little trio, with Malfoy it was much worse. And yet again she reminded herself, this was coming from Dumbledore, and from Harry's choice, he was at the centre of it after all.
And she knew she and Ron would follow him, until death if needed, and so here they were, and always would be.
"First there is Slytherins locket" Harry said, and he glanced around, looking for paper to note it down Hermione realised, instead she raised her wand and quickly scrawled the words in the air, in red, allowing them to be seen bright and clear, their list.
"Then his Fathers ring, that's destroyed" Ron chimed in and Hermione smiled, yes, they'd always have Harry's back. Her wand painted the words in the air again and she chimed in next.
"Helga Hufflepuffs cup" Hermione said, "We know he purchased it"
"Then we think something from Ravenclaw or Gryffindor" Ron followed up.
"And then Nagini, his snake" Harry said, and he even nodded at Malfoy's look of disgust. At least all three were united in how messed up Voldemorts mind was, the one common feeling between them. A madman indeed.
"And what about them?" Malfoy asked, eyebrow raised, "Do we have most of them?"
Hermione noted his use of the word 'we' which was interesting, filed that for later as Harry spoke, perhaps Malfoy wouldn't betray them, if only to save his own skin.
"The ring is destroyed" At that Hermione slashed a line of yellow through the ring, one down.
Five to go.
"Slytherins locket was stolen from where he hid it" Ron said, and Hermione again added a note to the list.
"For the cup, and whatever he used from Gryffindor and Ravenclaw we don't know" Harry said.
"And the snake is always with him" Malfoy finished, and they nodded.
"So basically, let me make sure I get this right" Hermione felt her shoulders tense as Malfoy spoke, she could sense he was about to be cruel, like the calm before a storm, though Malfoy was more like an icy gale, less explosion, more meanness.
She recoiled at the fact she'd apparently learned some of his behaviour, not that she wanted to, but she supposed him tormenting her for years had left her knowing some stuff about the way he acted, how unpleasant.
"You have destroyed one, but have no idea where the other four are and one is inaccessible?" Malfoy asked, eyebrow raised, an ugly sneer on his face. She noted he'd be handsome if he didn't always look so arrogant or so 'down your nose' at everyone, she could never consider him good looking with those expressions.
Not that it mattered, why was she thinking this? Perhaps because she was coming to the horrid and sudden realisation they'd have to work and be in close quarters with Malfoy for at least weeks, probably months, maybe longer, better get used to him, she thought.
Not any time soon, her brain chimed back.
"So, you have almost nothing to go on?" Malfoy asked and then he laughed but there was no humour or joy to it, just cruelty and perhaps something of being incredulous. "So glad I switched sides"
"Only to save your own skin" Ron threw back and Hermione smiled, damn right they wouldn't take Malfoy's ire without fighting back, they were Gryffindors after all.
"Yes, lets not act like you came across because you had a change of heart about your views" Hermione said, feeling the need to get her own comment, "You need us, we don't need you"
"Don't you?" Malfoy said, glaring at her then, and it was only her bravery (and a healthy dose of stubbornness) that had her meeting his gaze, icy as it was. "Sounds to me like old Dumbledore insisted I come along, before he croaked at least"
She wasn't surprised by what happened next, and so she was able to prevent it.
Harry was on his feet, wand in hand, he'd been quiet through their little exchange with Malfoy, likely keeping his temper in check to honour Dumbledores request, but now he was on his feet, slashing his wand through the air, though Malfoy had a shield up just in time to block it.
Just in time.
Harry was the better dueller, but Malfoy knew more.
They both got several more spells off before she sprung into action, quickly flicking her wand to force them away from each other, to opposite sides of the room, they needed everyone intact, and she knew neither of them were likely to back down, especially as furious as Harry was, and likely how backed into a corner Malfoy felt (not that she felt sorry for him, as if).
Ron ran to Harry then and she shot him a glare, to which he shrugged as she then turned-on foot to deal with Malfoy. Neither had hit anything, both too deft with shield charms, but they both looked pissed.
"What Granger come to patch me up?" He mocked as she approached him, and she glared, resisted the urge to punch him again, even crossed her arms so she wouldn't.
"Shut up Malfoy" She threw back, "Don't antagonise Harry, I may not like it, but we have to work together"
"What bullshit" Malfoy sneered, and she rolled her eyes, like a wounded animal indeed.
"Oh, stop crying Malfoy" She shot back, "You don't have much of a choice, unfortunately neither do we" She paused then, glanced at Harry who Ron was talking too quickly, he looked calmer, that was good. "We will work together, but antagonise Harry again and I won't pry you apart"
"As if I needed you too" He said with his own roll of the eyes.
"Sure, you're a good duellist" She said with a shrug, noted the flicker of surprise on Malfoy's face, "But Harry's better, he'd have got you eventually, and apparently Dumbledore wanted you to come along, in one piece"
"Is that a threat" Malfoy near growled and she stamped her glare back on quickly, it was apparently a permanent necessity around him.
Ugh, she felt like she was on constant alert around Malfoy, and she hated it. Her shoulders were tensed, arms crossed, back ramrod straight. What was Dumbledore thinking?
No, she couldn't think like that, she had to trust him, as Harry did, and she trusted Harry more than anyone.
"Doesn't need to be" She shot back, "You know I'm right"
"Is that so?" Malfoy said, he didn't' seem one to back down, just like them, god they'd be liable to kill one another.
"Indeed" She said, mocking now, to which Malfoy scoffed.
"So what Potter, the plan is to just wander around looking for them?" He yelled across the room, even seemed to laugh, "What a great idea"
"We're going to camp" Hermione said, again her need to defend her friends swift, "Be on the move"
"Yeah stay static" Ron said, having stepped forward, Harry next to him, still angry but calmer, to which Hermione offered him a smile and he managed one back, that was good.
"We need to find them" Harry said, "Simple as, unless you've got a better idea?"
Malfoy laughed more then, let out a loud laugh even, she hadn't known he was capable of it, "God we're fucked"
That they could all agree on.
sooo thoughts?
ofc malfoy is still antagonising af, harry has his temper, ron is right on harry's heels and hermione is a peacemaker but not without a threat, so there we go. how will these four work together? follow/fav and stay tuned
next ... time to leave hogwarts .. for good?
speak soon
