Chapter XV
Confusion
Hermione climbed the path up to the castle as fast as she could, but she couldn't catch up. Somehow Moody kept going with only one leg. She lost sight of them in the castle and guessed they would go to the hospital wing.
She reached the large doors and burst in. The hall was dark, empty. Hermione looked around, peered into Pomfrey's office, and even in the stockroom. They weren't there. And Pomfrey was still down at the maze, down with Dumbledore and Diggory… oh, god, Hermione thought. What happened to Cedric?
She dwelled on it for a moment, wondering what could have happened. It was just a maze, right? Some creatures were released in there, but nothing that could really hurt them, right? But Krum and Delacour were knocked out, at least. And Krum hadn't looked very with it when he woke.
Hermione shook those thoughts from her head. Where would Moody take Harry? To Dumbledore's office? Maybe, but Dumbledore was still down at… maybe to his own office? She dashed out of the hospital wing without closing the doors and sprinted full speed to the Defense classroom. The room itself was dark, but there was a light under the door to Moody's office. She tried the latch, but it was locked. She knocked on the door. She heard voices beyond the door, but it did not open. She knocked louder. "Professor? Harry?" she called, banging on the door. It did not open. She took her wand out.
An invisible rope wrapped around her waist and pulled her back. She tried to say something but she couldn't open her mouth. Three figures brushed past her. The door opened with a bang, and then a flash of red illuminated Moody's office. Dumbledore, Snape and McGonagall entered the room. The rope slacked.
Hermione took a few steps forward. Harry was in a chair to the left in the office, and something was shaking in a chest to the right. Between them, on the floor, was Moody. Except his face was changing. Changing into someone Hermione thought… yes, she had seen him. She had seen him in someone else's memory. Weeks ago, in Dumbledore's memory. It was Barty Crouch Jr., who had been in Bellatrix's trial and sentenced to Azkaban with her.
Snape's black robes blocked her vision. She looked up into his face, shadowy and severe. "To the common room. Do not speak of this." Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but Snape flicked his wand and she felt the ropes again, this time turning her away on their own and marching her out of the room. The ropes dissipated after a minute and she was walking on her own power again. But Hermione was on autopilot to the common room, unable to put everything together.
She caught onto the end of the Slytherin line into the common room.
"You weren't trying to get into the middle of things again, were you?" Draco demanded the moment he saw her.
"Get in…?" she stuttered.
"You always get into trouble this time of year," he said.
Hermione snapped herself out of the daze and scowled. "Not that you care," she said, brushing past him to the couch where Daphne had her arm around Astoria. Hermione sat next to her. Astoria had her knees held to her chest, staring straight ahead. "Did… is Cedric…" Hermione couldn't say it, but Daphne nodded. Hermione across Daphne to Astoria. Stray hairs fell across the girl's face. "It's going to be okay…" She didn't even know what she was saying. "Do you need some water?" Astoria shook her head.
The common room was filled with constant murmurs. Students were looking around uneasily. The ominous feeling Hermione had was obviously shared by many others.
Draco sat down on Hermione's other side. He coughed and rolled his shoulders. "I do care." When she ignored him, he said, "I do. Hermione. Did you hear me?"
"Yes," she muttered.
"I know… I know I made a mistake, okay? A big one. But I can make it right. It's not like… I haven't cheated on you or anything."
"Can't cheat when we're not together," she said.
"Hermione," he whined, "Don't be like that. It's complicated."
"I know it is."
"So why are you being like this?"
"Because you deserve it."
Snape appeared from the entrance hall. The room fell to silence. For several seconds, the only noise was the crackling of the fireplace.
"Regretfully, I must inform you that one of your peers has passed away tonight," he said, holding up a hand to stifle the breakout conversations from continuing. "All I can say now is that a service will be held at the end of the year, curfew is in effect until tomorrow morning, and everyone must return to their dormitories now. I expect all of you to comply within five minutes." With that, Snape withdrew.
Some headed off to bed immediately, others hesitated. Soon enough, though, the common room filtered out. "Let's go," Daphne stood. Astoria didn't move, so Daphne said, "You can sleep with me tonight, just like we used to."
Astoria looked up. "Really?"
Daphne smiled and nodded.
"Okay," said Astoria, standing. "You coming, Hermione?"
Hermione tried standing, but her body didn't respond. No. Her body tried, but it couldn't. Like ropes were tying her down. She glanced around the room. "Oh… I'm going to sit here for a little while. I'll see you in a bit."
Within a few minutes there were only a couple people left in the common room. Draco, though, was still there, sitting next to her. He took a deep breath. "Maybe I do deserve it," he said, "but I still love you." Hermione chanced a glance over at him. His cheeks were lit bright red. "Just let me have a chance to make things right."
Stuck on the couch, as she was, Hermione didn't have much choice but to respond. "How?"
"I'll…" he said, "I'll tell father I won't do it."
"You should have done that before."
"I know."
"You still haven't apologized."
"I'm sorry," he said quickly.
"For what?" she asked petulantly.
"For being stupid. And dumb."
She sighed. "Anything else?"
"I should have told you about everything sooner. It wasn't right to keep you in the dark."
"Been talking with your mother?"
Draco shrugged.
"She's a lot smarter than you are. But at least you listen."
"So…"
"You have your chance," she said.
"Really?"
"Don't fuck up."
"I won't," he said, grabbing her hand.
Fortunately, the ropes hadn't locked her arms in place, so she pulled her hand away from him "We aren't nearly there yet."
"Oh," he said. "Okay. I get it." They sat together in silence, the last two in the common room. "You going to bed?"
"Soon enough," said Hermione. "You go on ahead." Perhaps it might not have worked before, but Draco rightly considered himself on thin ice, so he did as told. Not half a minute after he left, Snape emerged from the shadows. Hermione sat dully and watched the fire crackle. He stood above her silently.
"Was this necessary?"
"Best to be inconspicuous," he said softly
Hermione felt the ropes slack and she stood. "I don't like it. Not at all."
"What you like or do not like is none of my concern," he said. "Dumbledore would like to see you." He turned and swept out of the common room.
Hermione trudged out and through the dark, deserted castle. Dumbledore's office opened for her and she found him leaning over the pensieve, the bluish light illuminating every wrinkle on his face. Many minutes went by, but Hermione knew he knew she was there, and every minute chaffed. She began tapping her foot, but he made no indication that he noticed or cared. It must have been a quarter hour before he stirred, pressing at his eyes with his thumb and middle finger. He sighed and ambled over to his desk.
"I fear my timeline was sorely mistaken," he said in a hollow voice. "Voldemort has returned, and we are not nearly ready."
Hermione felt a warm and prickly feeling spread along her skin. She couldn't help a little shiver.
"I have much to do, so I will make this brief. In the event that the Malfoys, or any of his Death Eaters, approach you with any intent, I am willing to offer you and your family protection."
"But the Malfoys love me."
Dumbledore picked up a quill and scribbled a note. "What you believe their feelings towards you were before is of no consequence now. Voldemort changes everything."
"They wouldn't let anything happen to me."
"Perhaps they wouldn't desire it, but you have no guarantee that they have any say anymore. If Voldemort targets you – if anyone targets you – I sincerely doubt Lucius Malfoy will intervene on your behalf."
"I don't really understand, sir," she said. "Why would they come after me?"
"Any number of reasons, Hermione. You are a muggleborn in Slytherin. You are involved with the young Mister Malfoy. You have shown yourself to be a talent in multiple fields of magic. And perhaps word will leak that you and I have been spending an amount of time together not usual of headmaster and student. Tom will inevitably see you as either an asset or a target. And before you get any ideas – his assets, in time, inevitably turn into his targets."
"What are you saying?"
"Even in the good graces of a madman, there is incredible danger. Do not become Bellatrix, Hermione. Her mistakes could just as easily become your mistakes. You are meant for good things, Hermione. I do believe that."
I-I. ⌡. Γ┐
Astoria wore one of Daphne's night shirts, a greyish-green silky thing, but it was too big so it looked more like a dress. She was curled up against her big sister, dozing peacefully. Daphne stroked her hair with an elegant wooden-handled brush. "She fell asleep before I was done," she said. "One side of her head will have to be messy, I suppose."
Hermione sat on the edge of Daphne's bed and put a hand on Astoria's shoulder. "He's back," Hermione said.
"Who?"
"You-Know-Who," said Hermione, not willing to call him anything else at the moment.
"How do you know?" Daphne stared at her.
"Snape told me," she lied, but it was a meaningless lie.
Daphne returned to brushing Astoria's hair. "Is he sure?"
"Seemed so."
Daphne put the brush down and cuddled Astoria. "How did it go with Draco?"
"Fine."
"I'm glad," she said.
"They say the Malfoys follow him."
Daphne nodded slowly.
"What does that mean for you and him? Your family and theirs?"
Daphne said nothing. She kissed Astoria's forehead and laid her head down, eyes still fully open.
I-I. ⌡. Γ┐
Hermione sat through the service without once looking at Dumbledore. He announced Voldemort's return, but Hermione could only think about Tom Riddle, the boy she had met. Oh, she hadn't trusted him then. But she was naïve then. Young and innocent, and she didn't know the Malfoys then, or the Greengrasses. She didn't know anything about pureblood society, or anyone who had followed him.
The Malfoys had been nothing but welcoming to her. Narcissa considered her a daughter, almost, and Draco loved her. Bellatrix, though she had been pushed to the edge, hadn't been a bad person before her sister left her alone with the Lestranges. Daphne was a pureblood, but Hermione could do nothing but praise her morals. Most of all, she trusted all of them to care for her. Dumbledore said she'd be in danger, but he's the one who had never really trusted her, or understood her. His lessons were designed to turn her against her friends, but they had only cemented her feelings.
So when Draco brought the topic up on the Express back to London, Hermione didn't hesitate. "I'm with you."
