Declare Independence
Hermione sat quiet in her room, staring out into the fading daylight. She was alone, thankfully. Her mind was running with a million thoughts and she wanted to kill those thoughts away. She played her conversations with Draco over and over again, only to be interrupted by Harry's words and Nott's persuasions and...She buried her face in her hands, ready to cry again. She heaved in a sigh, just as someone stepped in the room.
It was a soothing, familiar voice and she turned to give a strained smile to Ginny. Ginny stood beside the door frame, looking every bit like Wizarding royalty. Her hair was swept up in a neatly done chignon, and she wore a beautiful salmon pink gown with a full skirt and a lot of shimmer all over, her appearance reminiscent to that of a classic 1950s Muggle actress. It was the first time she had actually given close attention to what Ginny had bought the day before.
Ginny saw her expression and despite wearing a gown and already fixed up for the night, crossed the room in a few strides and flopped beside Hermione.
"What's wrong?" she asked with a frown.
Hermione half sobbed and laughed. "Nothing."
"Did Ron bother you-"
Hermione quickly shook her head.
"I know something's hurt you. Or someone."
Hermione avoided Ginny's eyes. "Ginny, what if I told you I fell in love with someone else already?"
Ginny's eyes brightened. "Then that's no reason to cry at all!" Ginny saw Hermione's strained look and she immediately softened up. "What's wrong with falling in love again?" she asked.
"I think...I think you wouldn't like it," Hermione said in small voice. "And Harry wouldn't either..."
"Who is it?" Ginny asked feeling thrilled at the prospect of Hermione in love with someone new.
"It's-" Hermione began with a whisper.
"Hermione! Ginny!" someone yelled happily. Parvati entered the room dressed in her resplendent traditional Hindu garments.
Ginny rolled her eyes, annoyed by the interruption. "Damn it," she muttered. "Nice robes, Parvati," she quickly said to Hermione's roommate.
Parvati beamed and twirled around to show off her dress. "Isn't it? Ginny that's a really lovely dress too you know...and Hermione! Why aren't you dressed yet?"
Hermione smiled a bit, trying to control her emotions. "I- I'm getting ready in a bit."
"You'd better, Head Girl. The ball starts in an hour!" Parvati said. "And you should see the decor. It's beyond magnificent. I'm so happy we pulled it off."
"Well, " Ginny said, facing Hermione. "It really is about time you should get dressed. Parvati if you'll excuse us?"
Parvati bobbed her head and excused herself.
Hermione signed and curled on her bed. Ginny flopped beside her again, saying nothing for a few minutes.
"Will you tell me again?" Ginny asked.
Hermione shook her head. "Maybe after the ball."
"The suspense is killing me," Ginny complained. She saw Hermione's look and laughed. "Merlin, you're so serious. So...where's your gown?"
Hermione flicked her wand and an oak cabinet in front of her opened. The gown was suspended in midair. A sudden memory flashed through her mind...
She smiled. "You might now sooner or later. There's a February ball scheduled. Not my idea of course-"
"I know it's not your idea. But whoever thought about it has just saved my fantasy," he smiled.
"It's the prefects from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw," she said. "There was no formal ball this year, so they thought of a 'better' replacement for the next year," she said, cringing a bit.
"Thank you," Draco murmured jokingly to the skies.
Hermione pinched his arm. He feigned hurt and then grinned.
"But seriously," he told her in all seriousness, "I'm holding my breath till that moment comes."
She snapped out of her short reverie and now looked at the gown glumly and then saw Ginny's reaction.
"That- that's your gown?"
"Is it that hideous?" Hermione asked. She had always thought it was very stunning...
"Are you kidding me?" Ginny gasped. She jumped off of the bed and rushed to examine the gown. "This looks like it was handmade by fairies! It's too beautiful beyond words..." Ginny touched the hem of the midnight blue coloured gown and felt the fabric slip through her fingers like water. She saw how meticulous the beadwork was, tiny enough to look like feather dust. The beads changed hues depending on the light too. There was a semi-full skirt to complement the bodice. Ginny stepped back in awe again. A smile formed on her face. It was, without a doubt, the most gorgeous dress she had ever seen.
"My green eyes are green with envy! " Ginny said; excited for Hermione more than ever. "I can't believe you're not even starting to fix yourself up yet!"
Hermione laughed, genuinely this time.
Draco sat on a window ledge on the seventh floor, his dress coat folded neatly beside him. His white shirt gleamed under the bright yellow lights, freshly starched as always, his shoes neatly polished to military perfection. The monogrammed handkerchief he had given Hermione was safely placed inside a breast pocket. His black waistcoat was a bit wrinkled, but he didn't care and he stared out into the cold night forming across the horizon.
His mind was strangely blank and for a moment, he felt a beautiful sense of calm fill him... until he heard heels clattering on the stone floors. He looked up and saw a rather unwelcome sight, despite it looking very smouldering. Pansy had worn deep green for the festive occasion. How she found him here, he couldn't fathom. The first emotion that registered was annoyance. Then he looked up to see another person beside Pansy. It was Theodore Nott. And for once, he had neatly combed his hair through, wearing a black tuxedo with a wilted rose on his breast pocket.
"Ah, hello there, Malfoy," Nott greeted with a grin.
Pansy's body moved suggestively closer toward Draco. Seeing that it didn't work, she moved back beside Nott, nearly snuggling with him. Nott smirked and looked at Draco again.
"Please let me have my peace," Draco murmured, feeling his bandaged hand (covered in a black leather glove with crystals on the wrist) throb greatly, as it were about to open again. His chest suddenly felt heavy, as if a boulder had weighed his heart down, making it difficult to breathe.
Nott apparently heard it and understood, after all, he was only doing this for Pansy. He motioned for Pansy to leave first, telling her to go ahead and fix her hair up again. Pansy huffed, wondering where this was leading to, and if Nott would keep his word. But she did leave and after Nott saw her figure disappear, he turned to face Draco, his face sombre.
"Did you have to do that?" Draco asked brusquely.
Nott shrugged. "Have to. So I can get what I want."
Draco didn't bother asking, thinking of better things, like his mother's life and Hermione and Lord Voldemort's resurgence. But Hermione was no longer in danger, he mused.
"Keep away from Hermione," Nott suddenly said.
"Are we going back to this again?" Draco snapped.
"Trust me."
"Right-"
"I know you altered her memory."
"Son of a-"
"Shut it, Malfoy. I know what you did. I spoke to her, she remembers nothing. Nothing of your lies."
"You're that besotted with her?" Draco asked tiredly, feeling sorry for Nott all of a sudden.
Nott stood still for a moment and then leaned against a pillar. "Bollocks. I don't know what's wrong with me. Yes, I am. I hate it, don't you see? But there's nothing I can do."
"Well, you can help me survive."
"You're on your own man."
"Is that what I get for sticking up to you all these years?" Draco asked.
Nott laughed hollowly. "Come on, man. Wake up! You can't save everyone, let alone yourself. I'd have to assume Harry Potter will die, rather than you let your folks die, or Hermione, or yourself. Of course, I have no plans of dying yet; I have enough problems to solve."
Draco smirked. Self-preservation was such a tempting thing at times. But strangely, he didn't feel the need to even feel that moment. He felt more selfless than ever.
"I wish to heaven that I'd just push through this. Like any other school day, like any other failed year of misery and alienation from everyone else, like every disappointment from every year I've tried to please bastards I have to fear," he suddenly said.
It surprised Nott. Like Draco had told him something so secret...something nearly sacred. It felt so negative but likeable that he suddenly felt melancholic.
"We are becoming our parents, aren't we? Well, I don't recall mother much..." Nott began. "I don't want to become like my father. He doesn't have a funny bone in him. And he-" Nott stopped, realizing he had hated everything he had done for the past eighteen years of living. "Dragon gone straight to leather boots...I'm actually becoming like my father," he laughed bitterly.
Draco was silent, wondering if this was indeed their fate. To become like their parents, to serve for years someone who was considered 'walking dead'. Until that master died, they would be prisoners for the tenure of his limbo condition. He couldn't imagine a life of privileged fear forever. To have all that money and be a slave to someone who didn't even give an ounce of respect to him and his mother and father...
"I didn't choose this path before. But it's become a part of me. I have to finish this, Nott," he said quietly.
"The Aurors aren't on this floor, I assure you," Nott told him. "I was told they were scattered all over. That Kingsley man was serious about the extra defence."
"He's always prepared. Dumbledore trusted him madly."
"Well, I don't. He'll find ways to bring us down, I tell you."
"I have to excuse myself for awhile. Hold down the fort, will you? There's a turret I need to get to before those nosy people do. By the way, there's something I want you to do. An old bean's been asking around for information on something I took. Take care of that, will you?"
Nott excused himself and left Draco to ponder alone for a few seconds. He had a bad feeling about tonight. He felt unprepared. Next week was the scheduled ploy on reviving the one man who could destroy worlds. His aunt had the plans moved instead of tonight; knowing Aurors were to assume that full moon made their plans palpable. He looked out onto the Hogwarts grounds and deeply breathed in cold air. His chest and hand throbbed again.
At that moment, he felt he was going to die.
It was five o'clock in the afternoon and Irma Pince; the school librarian was crossed. McGonagall was too busy to even bother talking to her, with Kingsley Shacklebolt around. She had only begun talking to McGonagall when his Kingsley and three of his entourage stepped in with Harry and Ron, and Kingsley announcing they had added protection to the school by way of more Aurors present.
"But Professor, I'm telling you, the book is missing. You know I do a monthly routine of checking on the books. The inventory-"
"We'll converse about that later, my dear Pince," McGonagall said, distracted by the large man's presence.
"But-" Pince was cut off. She sighed and tapped a finger on her sleeve testily.
"Yes Mr. Shacklebolt?"
"We have received word that they plan to move the following week," his deep voiced boomed within the large quarters. "It is essential we track those down. I've had two Aurors die because of this information. Albania was a big mistake but it had its advantage. I have had news that Lucius Malfoy was spotted fleeing with Pettigrew."
"So you mean my students are safer?"
"They are. I am leaving tonight with the larger number of my Aurors in tow. I will be leaving a skeleton team of six instead of twenty-five," he said, looking at the three people beside him. The three Aurors nodded.
Pince meekly raised a slightly curled hand. "Professor McGonagall, that book was highly antique- a definite resource for symbology- runes! If understood, it could be a key to very dreadful elements-"
Her voice was drowned by the deeper voices of Shacklebolt and his men along with McGonagall's edgy tone. No doubt, they were nervous about Harry Potter but she was more nervous about her lost book. Didn't the Potter boy always survive? Every year he had a harrowing experience and-
An Auror burst into the room, out of breath, carrying terrible news.
"Spotted just outside of Hadrian's wall- we have Dolohov and the Carrows on the run!"
Shacklebolt nodded and gave a few more quick instructions, excused himself and the rest of his team and left the room to apparate outside of the school grounds. The second in command, Proudfoot, turned to Harry and Ron, asking them politely to leave. Then he spoke in low and hushed tones once more with McGonagall and Madam Pince caught a few words pertaining to "student safety", "Slytherins" and "secret artefacts that were hidden in the castle in Voldemort's interest".
Pince sighed again. There was no use waiting for the Headmistress to listen. She would search for the book and the thief on her own; after all, she lived and breathed books. She said nothing as she slipped out of the office and back to the library. With only the lights at the restricted section still aflame, she scanned for clues the thief could have left.
True, the restricted section had its enchantments- but for a student to actually discover the password for that book, no matter how simple, made her grit her teeth. She wondered if the book was still in good condition and if the lad or lass still had good eyesight.
Pince actually had a feeling of dread growing in her heart. Someone was smart enough to know the contents or importance of that book. She wanted it back. She would propose to the rest of the school board that she would have the restricted section encased in glass- or something close to that, to add protection to the precious and priceless books. Snorting at the sight of the area where the book of runes was supposed to be in, she lit her wand to look for clues. She saw nothing though, for at that moment, someone stepped in front of her bent frame.
"You!" she gasped suddenly. Then she crumpled on the floor, living but rigid.
Theodore Nott stood quietly over the body of Madam Pince and sighed. He hated doing that to older people...but librarians weren't always in good terms with him anyway. He flicked his wand and sent her body to the far end of the library, inside a stock room for both new and old books. That would keep her shut for awhile, he mused.
Making sure no one was looking, Nott quickly walked out of the library, careful to put the closed sign in front of the door. In a few minutes, he was back inside the Slytherin dormitory, his insides twisting with anticipation for Draco's next plan and the girls that were fawning over his recently improved sex appeal.
A/N: Till next!