A/N: Hey everybody! I know you probably want to kill me for not updating this story for like three months. But if you killed me, you wouldn't get the rest of your story! So thanks for not killing me and thank you for all the encouraging reviews. I'll try to get the next chapter up sooner. I already have it outlined, if that makes any of you feel anyway.
Btw, HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE!!! --- That was like New Year's 2005, because for 2006 I know for a fact I was partyin' like a princess w/ THE San Juan Chapter, lol.
Can Hermione mend things up with Harry and Ron?
Will Draco make it through Auror training? Guess you'll just have to read and find out!
Unto the End, Into the Beginning
Chapter Four: "Mending the Past"
"Welcome," said Oliver Wood, "to your first day of second level training". He stood tall by the briefing board and Harry could almost picture him standing in his Quidditch Robes telling them what play to use to beat Slytherin. But Wood had come a long way from childhood worries, they all had. This time what was on the line wasn't a metal cup and house pride; it was the fate of the wizarding world.
"My name is Oliver Wood and I am your instructor for this level of your training. You pass this level and then you go onto levels 3, 4, 5 and then your final exam. You have exactly 2 weeks to pass this level, or you'll be demoted back down to level one. Now I know that sounds a bit harsh, but when you're an Auror on a raid you've got to be quick and accurate, leaving no room for mistakes." Oliver hesitated slightly before going on, perhaps dwelling on mistakes of his own.
"Well then, let's get to the game plan, shall we?" He clapped his hands and rubbed them together, something that he had always done while strategizing for the next game. "This," he said, pointing to the board that was floating in mid-air, "is a map of the underground hide-out that you'll be raiding. This is how it works; there will be 40 Aurors stationed throughout the hide out, they're acting as death eaters. If they see you they'll shoot you with a spell that would put a large red circle on the center of your robes. Anyone with a red dot will be counted as a fatality." At the word "fatality" there was a shift of chairs, a quiet restlessness of the trainees. Fear swept through them, holding them close, like a mother would her newborn.
"There are fourteen of you, so you're outnumbered, how it often is. There will be seven groups of two, all with different missions. Under no circumstance are you to leave your partners side, unless of course they are killed in the scenario. The evaluators," he pointed to a small group of wizards all dressed in green robes holding parchments and quills, "will be watching the entire thing. You need 50 points to move on to the next stage of your training. Does anyone have any questions?" Wood asked.
Silence. Wood was about to dismiss them when a hand went up.
"What if you get killed? Does that mean there is no chance of you passing?" He asked.
"That's a good question," said Wood, "there is still a chance for you to pass, even if you are hit. If you died for the cause of the mission or to spare another, you'll earn points. If you do something to help or jeopardize the mission, points will be given and taken accordingly. Now when I call off your name listen for your position.
Potter--Weasley: second floor, secure it and make sure no one leaves.
Johnson--Mirkwood: dungeons, do a lock down. There's a way to make sure no one apparates out, you'll figure it out.
Walker--Sullivan: first floor, secure it and take prisoners
Thomas--Finnigan: third floor, search for information
Longbottom--Creevey: second floor, you'll be doing the same
Abbott--Kensington: you'll be the guides in and out
Vonburgh--Malfoy: you've got the hard job. Second floor, capture the leader of the death eaters stationed there. ..
Good Luck to all of you, and remember this; all those who fall behind, are left behind."
"Malfoy, isn't it?" a young man with brown hair asked.
"No, just call me Draco."
"Well, Draco, it looks like we got the hard job."
"Lucky us. Guess they thought we could handle it." His Partner was about to enter to the 'underground hideout' when Draco stopped him.
"What's your name? Jacob…Vonburgh. Jacob Vonburgh."
"Well Jacob, no man ever gets left behind. I won't leave you."
"It's just a scenario Draco, relax."
"That's the attitude that can get you killed. Want some advice? If you want to be an Auror Jacob, you better start acting like one. No one gets left behind."
"No one gets left behind," Jacob repeated, inspired by Draco's passionate tone.
The Aurors entered the room. Almost instantly the lights went out and the room became cold and damp, smelling like dried blood and rotting bones. An eerie voice boomed from nowhere, counting down for the scenario to begin...10...7...5...3...2...1. The lights came back on, but quickly began to flash on and off again. The team quickly found the staircase, going down to their assigned levels. Most of the group dropped off at the second floor. Most of the activity seemed to be happening there. Doors burst opened and five death eaters came charging out. They were quickly shot down; all of them now bore large red dots, which almost made them targets. However, they were supposed to be dead already.
They split up into their groups and Draco and Jacob started down the second corridor, going on a hunch. They began to kick doors down, wands at the ready. Some rooms they would find empty, others with only one death eater or perhaps even two, but never the one they were looking for. Draco and Jacob were told that the leader would bare a yellow mark on his robes. This upset Draco, death eaters would not be such easy targets in real raids. Nevertheless, he had a job to do and he was determined to finish it. Draco spotted a single door at the end of a long hallway with multiple doors on either side of it. The door alone was black in a sea of grey walls and doors and green smoke was seeping from every hole out into the hallway, as if it were seeking something it would never find.
Draco signaled for Jacob to follow him. They approached the door and he silently counted down to three, putting a finger down each time, so Jacob would be aware of his intent. When all his fingers were down, he kicked the door and it flew against a desk that was in the room. They quickly entered and a blue blast flew passed Draco and hit Jacob square in the chest, knocking him down.
"NO!" Draco screamed as a large red dot covered Jacob's robes.
He turned to face the death eater, anger in his eyes. He screamed and ran at the death eater, knocking him down. He attempted to rise, but was kicked down by Draco. In retaliation the death eater swung as Draco, who ducked. The man stumbled forward and Draco kicked him down, emitting the same blue sparks that would have ended Jacob's life, had this been real. But Draco forgot that it wasn't real and the only thing that mattered was the mission. Draco ran over to Jacob and lifted him up. He put one of Jacob's arms around his neck and pulled him along, making his way toward the stairs that would lead them to safety.
Draco was half way there when he saw a death eater and hid himself and Jacob, who was still unconscious, behind a pillar. When the death eater turned to go down the corridor on the left he made a run for it, although he was slowed by Jacob. He reached the third floor and gave a sigh of relief. But the sigh turned to shock as he realized that no less than ten death eaters guarded the door that would lead him to safety. He laid Jacob gently on the ground and readied his wand. The death eaters were closing in on him and he knocked four of them down before they completely enclosed him. He turned in circles, blocking and casting spells. Six death eaters remained. One of them began to speak and Draco already cast the counter curse. The two mists of color met each other in mid-air. Draco's was blocking the curse, but not easily. Draco forced the spell with all of his might, but another death eater stunned him from behind, causing him to fall on the cold, hard floor.
A few moments later Thomas and Finnigan came running up with the needed information, backed by their fellow Aurors who were able to take down the final six death eaters. The Aurors gathered around the unconscious Draco and Jacob, wondering what struggle they had gone through. The lights stopped flickering and returned to their original brightness.
The same voice from before could be heard throughout the whole place, "The simulation raid is over. Please return to the main floor, where you will be given your scores. All simulated fatalities will be revived momentarily."
By the time the evaluation committee arrived, all fourteen Auror-cadets were waiting in the briefing room. The men all sat down at a table where the floating board had been. They began to read off names. For each it was the same; their skills, their accomplishments, their mistakes and whether or not they passed. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the last man read off "Draco Malfoy".
Draco shifted in his seat as he awaited his evaluation. "Quick with his wand, excellent at charms and determined to finish his mission. Single-handedly took down the leader and 6 other death eaters and completed his mission. Disobeyed orders by dragging his friend along with him. Jeopardized the mission and safety of other Aurors by possibly leading them into the same trap. Would have selflessly died for the importance of the mission and cleared the path for the rest of the Aurors. For this we award Mister Malfoy a perfect 75 points, a pass."
Draco gave a sigh of relief and was congratulated by his fellow colleagues, even people he had been enemies with at Hogwarts. Even Harry, who had received a 69, approached him, but not for the reasons he thought.
"Why did you do it Draco? Why'd you jeopardize the mission?" Harry asked accusingly.
"Hey, you heard the judges. I helped the mission succeed."
"Yeah, by getting yourself killed.
"Like you would have cared Potter."
"What are you trying to prove, Draco?"
"That I don't leave anyone behind, and that I get the job done."
"Since when have you been interested in being a hero?"
"Look Potter, unlike you I'm not trying to make the front page and be everyone's hero. I only care about doing what's right. Sorry, did I steal the spotlight for a moment? I'm sure you won't have any trouble getting it back...just have your scar burn or something..."
"You son of a..."
"Look Potter, I have things to do. I'll argue with you later."
"Why are you training to be an Auror? Is it so she'll trust you?"
"Oh, so this is about Hermione, isn't it? You're jealous that she chose me."
"Of course it's about her. And just so you know, I have nothing to be jealous of."
"I'm sure."
"You stole my friend away from me!" Harry half shouted.
"I didn't steal her from you, you pushed her away," Draco retorted, and left the ministry, filled with swelling anger.
By the time Draco had arrived home much of his anger had drifted from him. He came home to the front door slightly ajar and he hesitated to enter. Why was the door unlocked? What had happened? Was Hermione alright? Draco opened the door and called her name nervously.
"I'm in the kitchen Draco" he heard her reply.
Draco entered the kitchen to find Hermione occupied at the stove, potatoes were being sliced by a floating knife and then flew into a pan to be mashed. Carrots were also being chopped up and tossed into boiling water by an invisible person.
"Hermione...why was the door open?" Draco asked.
"What? Oh, I guess I forgot to shut it all the way after I picked some herbs from the garden. OH! The herbs..." Hermione remembered, mashing up all kinds of green herbs into tiny crushed pieces.
"Hermione, you've got to be more careful! Leaving the door open is like inviting death eaters into our house!"
Hermione left the stove top, although spoons continued to stir what was in the pots. She walked over to Draco and gently stroked his cheek.
"Draco, even if the door was locked, I don't imagine it'd be much of a problem for a death eater. And besides, I think I know how to handle myself around one or two. We can't be living in fear of tomorrow and forget to live out today."
"Hermione, I need to..." Draco began, but was soon cut off by Hermione.
"You need to relax after a hard day of training," she said, giving him a quick kiss, "dinner will be ready soon."
Draco nodded and went upstairs to change into more comfortable clothes. He stood in front of the large mirror in their room. As he undressed he checked the wounds on his body. He unwrapped the wound on his right side and cringed. The gash was getting only slightly better. Draco muttered a spell and he noticed an instant improvement. He went over to a small box and removed some of the herbs and placed them on the gash. It stung at first, but then he felt relief. It was a real pain making sure that Hermione didn't see him changing. He supposed that he should get used to it, because even if these wounds finally did heal, he was sure there would be plenty more to come. He needed to find a way out of this situation, to be free to be a husband to Hermione and an Auror to the Ministry. He sighed and went back downstairs, once again fully dressed.
Something smelt very delicious and he went into the dining room to find the candles lit and two places set. He smiled and sat down just as Hermione was bringing out the main course. Hermione reached to put steak onto Draco's plate, but Draco grabbed her hand gently.
"I can serve myself, you don't have to do everything Hermione, you're eight months pregnant, I should be pampering you," he said.
He kissed her hand and then rose from his seat, leading Hermione to hers. He pulled out the chair for her and then served her dinner. When Draco returned to his own seat, he could see a large grin on Hermione's face.
"So how was training Draco?" Hermione asked with honest interest.
"It was fine," and he was going to dismiss it with that, but Hermione wouldn't have it.
"Draco, don't be like that. I want to know how everything is going. What kinds of things do they make you do?" She asked.
Draco sighed. He couldn't deny her anything when she spoke in that sweet tone, with that caring look.
"Well, today they set it up like a raid. We were all paired off into groups of two and we had different missions."
"How did you do on your mission?"
"Well, I passed."
"What does that mean? Did you complete it?"
"Well, yes and no."
"Draco."
"Alright, okay. I sort of defied orders and got myself killed."
"What? You can DIE in training?"
"Well, you get tagged, but it supposed to mean that you've been killed in action."
"I had to defy orders. I'm telling you Hermione, that program is being run by the wrong type of people. They have an attitude that is going to lose us this war. Their motto is "anyone who falls behind gets left behind" and I wasn't going to follow that. It's like they don't even care how many Aurors they are going to lose, and then that damn Potter.."
"Harry?" Hermione questioned, alarmed.
"Look, it was nothing." Draco replied, trying to change the subject.
"Draco, what happened?
"Harry was acting like he was mad at me for jeopardizing the mission, but that wasn't really the reason. He misses you Hermione." Draco said, although not really wanting to. But he couldn't lie to Hermione because he knew that Harry meant a lot to her.
"Oh" was all that she said, but Draco knew that she wanted to talk about it.
"Maybe you should talk to him," Draco said reluctantly.
"No, he could contact me if he really wanted to," she replied, ending the conversation.
Later that night, when Draco was asleep, Hermione used Draco's owl to send a letter to Harry and Ron. She told them to meet her at The Three Broomsticks tomorrow at 3pm; if they weren't there by 3:30pm then she would take the hint and not try to contact them again. She was torn in two, half of her wanted them to come, but the other half knew that they would not.
Hermione knew that she would not be able to sleep, so she rummaged through her drawers to find her journal. When at last she found it she opened to the page that had been book marked. She found it odd that she hadn't written in her journal since April. Surely she would have written more things about her pregnancy? Brushing those thoughts aside, she flipped to the next blank page, and after some thought, wrote her entry.
It is possible that tomorrow I will be meeting with Harry and Ron, my two best friends for seven years. Yet, I haven't spoken to them since graduation. It is likely that they hate me for starting a life with Draco, their childhood enemy. You know who he is, I've written about him several times before. I can see how it would be a little difficult for them to accept it, but he's on our side! He's attending the same academy that they are. I do hope they come so that this friendship may be mended. I need my two best friends to be part of my life, to be part of my unborn child's life. If I lose them, my memories of Hogwarts will surely slip away.
All the times that I was angry with them, all the times that I promised myself that I would make Harry and Ron apologize first now seem so insignificant. I couldn't bare the thought of losing them before we could have a chance to mend our friendship. No one was safe in this world anymore and what was worse is that everyone knows it. I am willing to forgive and forget. To stop dwelling in the past and live in the present, similar to what I told Draco earlier today, about not living in fear of tomorrow. It was time that I took my own advice. Tomorrow, no matter how hard it may be, I will mend the past.