Update day! Thank-you for the follows :) hope this story won't disappoint! Reviews are appreciated to see if I'm on the right track.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I wish I did own Harry Potter, but I don't. If I did, Hermione and Draco would kiss and make out and have lots of babies.
Year 1997, January
Gryffindor Common Room
"That doesn't prove anything."
Harry was awestruck.
"Hermione, it all fits. The conversation he had with Snape, the threat he made to Borgin. And let's not forget the things he said to Parkinson and Blaise on the train. It explains why he is acting so weird this year. He is a Death Eater!"
"Snape is working for Dumbledore."
"We don't know that."
"Yes, we do! Dumbledore trusts him and we can't get our personal dislike towards Snape affect our judgement on this matter. Or Malfoy."
"Are you seriously defending him? It's Malfoy!"
"Exactly. He can act all high and mighty, but deep down he is a coward and you know that Harry. He bullies people. That is what he does, but come real danger, he hides under his fathers' robes."
"Crabbe and Goyle haven't been around lately."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"It has everything to do with it! It may mean that he is around something dangerous. Dangerous enough to scare them off."
"We are back to speculating then."
"I'm not speculating anything. I know what I heard and I know that Malfoy is different this year. I just know it."
"We need more proof."
"Hermione, can you please just trust me on this?"
They have been arguing for the past half hour. Since the beginning of term, Harry was after this wild theory that Malfoy had finally taken the Dark Mark, following his fathers' footsteps. True, he was acting a little shadier than usual, but Malfoy was well known for being more bark than bite. Hermione found it hard to believe he had actually taken such a dark path. But that was her own fault really. Sometimes she just gave in to wishful thinking.
Right now, they were back in the Gryffindor common room, after an unproductive, late study session in the library. They were supposed to study for their N.E.W.T.s – Hermione's idea of course, since neither Harry nor Ron seemed to notice that they were taking them next year already. But, alas, the conversations came around the same topic: Malfoy being a Death Eater or Ron's bitching about not being invited to Slughorn's Christmas party. After deciding there wouldn't be much studying and finding a need for a more private place to talk, they decided to come back to the common room.
It was late, people were asleep, the only light in the room came from the fireplace and they were all seated on the ground in front of it. It made a cute picture: three best friends, hanging around in the middle of the night, near a cosy fire. It would have made a cute picture, if they weren't talking about such a gloomy subject.
Times were darker than ever. Ever since the knowledge that Voldemort was definitely back, Hogwarts had a tense feeling to it. Everybody was looking over their shoulder, afraid of being assaulted or murdered. It was a dramatic picture, but it was the truth. Most of the students were scared, some were so scared they didn't come back to school. Those who stayed, tended to stick to themselves or stroll in groups, too nervous about being alone somewhere. The change was palpable. Something was coming, something big. And they had to figure out what it was, fast. And right now, Malfoy and that creepy Half-Blood Prince book were their only leads.
"I don't think Malfoy was joking when he said all those things to the other Slytherins. I mean, he kicked Harry in the face for it." Ron decided to intervene.
"I'm not saying he was joking. I'm just saying we can't go around accusing someone if we don't have any concrete proof."
"Oh come on, Hermione! What more proof can you possibly want?" Harry questioned, getting annoyed.
"I don't know, alright? I just…." She struggled "I just find it hard to believe…"
"Since when is it hard to believe that Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy, a well-known Death Eater, Pureblood racist and bully, that has tormented us for years, can be a Death Eater?" Ron asked "It is a no brainer for me."
Hermione remained silent, no really knowing what to say.
She disliked Malfoy with passion. For almost six years he had, subsequently and without any visible remorse, made her days at Hogwarts all-to-imperfect. He was the pebble in her shoe; the horn in her back. He was one of the many things she actually regretted, having in her life. Astute as always – cunning and direct – with a comeback always ready to slip from his lips. Yes, Draco Malfoy truly was a paradox. Intelligent and powerful, there were few who could stand as high and mighty, as the Slytherin Prince; the Malfoy astounding good looks only being a bonus. The all-to-well known cruel and cocky attitude that he never seemed to get tired of was always there, making itself known. His cruelty and manipulating attitude towards others made the boy – yes, she would not consider him a man, yet – almost unbreakable. Almost.
A paradox indeed.
Draco Malfoy could have been so much better. In so many ways, he'd overcome Harry with a mere flick of his wand. Sometimes, the Boy-Who-Lived would be compared with the Slytherin Prince, and, sometimes, Malfoy got the upper hand. But instead of using that as an advantage, the boy had decided to simply hate the scar-headed (as Hermione heard him call once) with burning passion, dreaming of the day, when he would finally get to beat Harry.
Don't you know Malfoy? As cliché as it may sound, in the end, evil does not overcome good. Harry would always win, simply because, your heart is not in the right place. You've created a shell around yourself; a false persona. You take your personality, mix it up with a bit arrogance and hold it up, for everyone to see; for everyone to fear.
Yes, a paradox.
Malfoy was all of those things and worse. But was he capable of true evil? Could he follow the lead of a depraved man, with such immoral and disgusting beliefs? Could he actually have no hope left?
"What should we do?" she asked.
"Kick his arse."
"Ron! Do you honestly think violence is the solution to everything?" Hermione scowled.
"No, but when it comes to Malfoy, I don't think there is a better way."
"I'm not saying we should hurt him, but we should definitely confront him." Harry said.
"And demand he tell us? Right, because that will work." Ron snorted.
"We should go to Dumbledore."
"And say what? It is like you said Hermione, we have no proof."
"Dumbledore might be able to help, Harry. If Malfoy is really that far gone, we need help. Confronting him or getting aggressive isn't the way."
"Or we can find a way to prove he is a Death Eater. You know, catch him in the act." Ron chirped in.
"We hardly ever see him anymore. And last time I tried that, it didn't end well." Harry grimaced at the unwanted memory of laying on a carriage floor with a bleeding nose.
"We can talk to Snape."
Harry and Ron both looked at her like she had grown two heads.
"You said it yourself, Harry. Snape knows what is going on with Malfoy and is even trying to help him. Maybe if we can find a way to make Snape talk…"
"We can spy on Snape." Ron offered.
Well, that wasn't exactly something new, since it was something Harry had already done. Hermione didn't reply and Harry gave a brief nod, the three of them reaching some kind of silent agreement. Nevertheless, although Hermione believed that Snape had some kind of answer, she was almost one hundred percent certain that he was struggling with this as well. He was clearly trying to figure out what was going on with Malfoy, so he could warn Dumbledore, such as Arthur Weasley and Lupin had said. It had to be… Right?
"We could try to talk to Dumbledore, to see if he knows anything. Just point it out and try to understand if he –"
"Whatever Malfoy is planning, Hermione, Dumbledore can't know. If he knew, he would have done something by now." Harry stated.
"He could be protecting –"
"Why would he want to protect him? Malfoy is vile."
"Malfoy is a student of Hogwarts, like any other student, Ronald. Dumbledore protects the students, even those who don't deserve it."
"Will you stop defending him? Merlin." Ron was getting angry.
"I'm not defending him! I'm just saying –"
"Right, that is enough. We have already decided. This is getting us nowhere. Let's just go to bed."
Harry, ever the peace maker.
"I'm just saying" Hermione continued as if she didn't hear him "That Dumbledore is the Headmaster and has to lookout for all the students. Maybe he knows exactly what Malfoy is up too and if it is something that serious, he could be protecting him or trying to persuade him to stop."
"If Dumbledore knew, he would have probably told Harry by now."
"Right, as if Dumbledore doesn't know that Harry should be the last person to acknowledge that information."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Harry asked, feeling offended.
"Argh! Just forget it. Let's just go to bed, like you said." Hermione replied, getting up from the floor, dusting her legs along the way.
"I still don't understand how you cannot possibly be with us on this." Harry got up as well.
"I am with you, Harry. I'm just trying to think this through, rationally and wisely."
"What is there to even think about? Voldemort is back and clearly in need of new followers. Malfoy is the perfect choice." Ron was the tallest of the three, standing up in between them.
"Why? Just because his father is a Death Eater?"
"Amongst other things, yes."
"Hermione, please, this is Malfoy we are talking about. Freaking Malfoy."
"Yes, Harry, the Malfoy we all loathe and hate. The Malfoy who calls me a Mudblood – " Ron hissed at that "And intimidates and oppresses those he considers beneath him. The exact same Malfoy that tried to be-friend you and ended up loathing you as well."
"He only tried to be-friend me for reputation, you know that. Why are we even talking about this?"
"Because, you keep saying I'm defending him when I'm not! I'm as worried and preoccupied as you and I want to get to the bottom of this. But we cannot let our feelings get in the way of our judgement."
"This isn't about our feelings. I know what I saw and I know what I heard. These are the facts. Malfoy is up to something and he is most likely a Death Eater and we need to know if he can be dangerous. That is all there is to it, Hermione."
"Let's just leave it. It is late, I'm tired." It was Ron's turn to try and bring closure.
Hermione was tired as well, this conversation draining her. She looked at them, thinking about a reply but a sigh was all that left her mouth.
Truth is, she was worried. She was so worried… for everything. For Harry, for them, Dumbledore, Hogwarts. She was worried that the sky would fall over their heads and she was worried about her N.E.W.T.s. How could she be worried about that as well, was ludicrous, but she wouldn't be Hermione Granger otherwise. And now, there was a possibility that this Malfoy theory was actually right and that just didn't worry Hermione. It scared her. It scared that someone she knew – someone as old as she, a wizard and fellow classmate – could actually be on this obscure path. That someone could actually be capable of doing all those things Death Eaters were known to do; someone that shared the same classes as her. It was insane. Hogwarts was not safe anymore, that much she knew. With this new possibility of students turning Death Eaters, everything seemed so much more real. That wasn't supposed to happen, not here, in their safe heaven.
They strode in silence, headed for the stairs that led to their dormitories, each of them with their own thoughts about all that was discussed. Hermione knew that Harry would not back down on the matter and Ron, being his best mate, would be right alongside with him. She also knew their rivalry towards Malfoy was just one more reason for this crazy theory. Not that she didn't feel like a rival herself. She had already punched Malfoy once and slapped him as well, so, she wasn't exactly a saint when it came to judging him. But it was that stupid part of her, or in this case, she considered it to be stupid, that truly believed in innocent before proven guilty. Or, more so, that part of her that still had faith in humanity. People could not be that bad. The only person that could make her think otherwise would be Voldemort. Voldemort was so far gone, to the point of no return. Malfoy could not be in the same boat… He just couldn't.
"What if he is?" she whispered.
Harry and Ron turned to her, one foot on the first step of stairs.
"He's a student, no older than us. How can he be?"
"I don't know, Hermione…" Harry soften, himself, deep down, not wanting any of it to be true.
"We'll deal. We always do." Ron offered her a small, comforting smile.
She kept quiet and took a step towards them, following their lead, as they prepared for a restless sleep.
Hogwarts wasn't safe anymore and Malfoy could be very close to falling into a big, deep hole, but as long as she had them – as long as they were here with her – she would be fine. She would. She had to. As long as they were in her life, things would never get that dark. They would deal with this and they would be ok. Hogwarts would be safe again. Voldemort would be defeated and Draco Malfoy would see the light.
Hermione snickered at that.
Draco Malfoy seeing the light. Sooner she believed that aliens were real.
Aliens are real... right?
Hope you liked it :) Have a wonderful day, wherever you are, even if you are in a galaxy far, far away!
