Chapter Thirteen
Hermione kept fidgeting in all of her classes. All of her professors would give her weird looks or ask if she was all right. Finally her last class finished. Hermione packed up her books and quills in her bag and raced out the door to the Great Hall. As she got closer, she saw Harry and Ginny already waiting for her.
"Hi guys." She panted as she slowed down and stopped in front of them.
"Hi Hermione." They replied as they started the walk to Dumbledore's office. They reached it and Harry said the password, causing the gargoyle to move. The three climbed the stairs and knocked on the office door.
"Enter." Said Dumbledore.
Harry opened the door, and they filed inside. They weren't alone though. Tonks, Lupin, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Arthur Weasley, Snape, and a few other Aurors were there. Dumbledore waved his wand and conjured up three more chairs, to which he motioned for them to sit in.
Once they had, he spoke. "Now I believe we all know why we're here." He looked at Hermione, Ginny, and Harry. "There was an attack on an Auror hideout recently. Three Aurors were killed. The Order is planning to retaliate. We have recently discovered that there are Death Eaters in an abandoned warehouse not far from London. We're not sure what they're doing there, but we have decided that tomorrow night we will attack."
Harry looked up hopefully at this.
Dumbledore raised his hand and shook his head. "I'm sorry Harry, but I can not allow you three to go. You are too young and inexperienced, and I will not have you getting hurt or killed while I can prevent it."
Hermione frowned. "Stupid old cod." She thought to herself. "But sir," She said out loud. "That's ridiculous. You know we can take care of ourselves."
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes I know that Miss Granger, but given the circumstances, I don't feel comfortable-"
Hermione cut him short. "How am I supposed to prove myself if I'm not allowed to fight!" She shouted.
The others shifted in their seats nervously. Dumbledore had a shocked look on his face. "Hermione, I believe have given my reasons on why you three will not be allowed to go."
"Fuck your reasons!" The others gasped at her language. "This is bullshit and we all know it! We deserve to be out there with the rest of you!" With that, she stormed out of the office, leaving everyone else to look around uncomfortably.
Harry stood up, pulling Ginny with him. "We'll go talk to her sir." He said to Dumbledore, who nodded. The two of them left the office, looking for Hermione.
"What in the bloody hell was that all about?" Ginny asked.
"I don't know, but I don't think it was good." They had reached the Fat Lady's portrait, who let them in when they said the password. There, pacing the common room floor, was Hermione. They slowly made their way over to her, not wanting to upset her more.
Hermione looked up when she heard them, a scowl on her face. When she saw who it was, she resumed her pacing. "This is utterly ridiculous. I want to help, but the old coot won't let me!" She stopped pacing and faced them. "How in the bloody hell am I supposed to prove myself to him if I can't get out on the battlefield!" Of course to herself, she was thinking of proving herself to Voldemort.
Harry and Ginny looked at each other uneasily. "Hermione," Harry said slowly, "Are you all right?"
"Oh yeah Harry! I'm just fanbloodytastic!" Hermione said sarcastically. She shook her head. "I'm going to lay down for a bit. Alone." She said pointedly to Ginny.
Hermione slowly walked up the stairs to the dorm she shared. Once inside, she walked over to her bed and plopped herself down on it. "Ughhh!" She groaned, covering her face with her hands. Nothing was going the way she wanted it to! Wait a second…the mirror! Hermione leaned over the end of her bed and started rummaging through her trunk. She finally found it stashed between a set of robes.
"Draco." She said to the mirror. She waited a second before the reflection started to change and Draco appeared. He smiled when he saw her.
"I was just thinking about you." He said.
"You were?" Hermione asked. "That's so sweet."
"Yeah." Draco smirked. "I was in the bathroom, with my pants around my ankles, thinking about the last time that we saw each other. And I was strok-"
"Draco!" Hermione said, mortified. "That's…that's…I don't even know what! And I have important news for you if you could get your mind out of the gutter for five minutes!"
Draco got serious. "What is it?"
"Well I just got back from a meeting with Dumbledore. He's planning an attack tomorrow night Draco!" She said frantically.
Draco frowned. "Did he say where it would be?"
"Yeah, at an abandoned warehouse not far from London. He said it was a retaliation attack because we attacked and killed three Aurors just recently." Hermione answered.
"Okay." Draco answered. "I'll let the Dark Lord know about this. He'll be pleased with you I'm sure."
"Draco I want to help fight. Please!" She pleaded. "Dumbledore doesn't think we're ready to do battle but I need to prove myself to the Dark Lord. He need to know that I'm truly on his side."
Draco looked at her, as if he were sizing her up. "All right." He said, sighing. "I'll get another portkey and meet you outside the gates tomorrow night at 9 p.m. sharp. You must be there then or else the portkey will take me back without you."
Hermione nodded happily. "Thank you Draco. You won't be sorry."
Draco grinned. "I hope not, or who knows what I'll have to do to punish you." He said, wiggling his eyebrows.
Hermione giggled. It felt good having someone to talk with freely. She and Draco spent the rest of her lunch hour talking about anything that came to mind. She was upset when she finally had to tell him goodbye. But she was cheered up by the fact that she would see him tomorrow night.
She gathered the books she would need for her afternoon classes and left the tower. She met up with Harry outside of their Potions class as they went inside.
"Hermione, do you want to spend tomorrow night with me and Ginny? I mean since we can't fight, you know. I don't know what we're going to do yet, but if you wanted to just hang out…" Harry trailed off.
Hermione turned to him. "Sorry Harry, but I think I'm just going to call it an early night today and tomorrow. I'm still upset with Dumbledore, and I don't really want to be reminded of it."
Harry sighed. Why was she being so difficult? "I think Dumbledore may be right. Especially about you." At this, Hermione turned and glared at him. "Well what I mean is, well, that it probably isn't a good idea for you to surround yourself with Death Eaters again. What if they captured you again Hermione?"
Hermione snorted. "Like that would really be a bad thing?" She thought. Out loud she said, "Look Harry. I'm old enough to take care of myself. I've obviously shown that I can handle the capture and torture part. I just don't see why Dumbledore insists we can't go." With that said, she turned around and started copying the notes from the board.
Harry sighed and turned around too, knowing when he was up against a brick wall.
Later that day and all through the next, Hermione walked around in a daze. Time seemed to pass slower than normal for her, the day just dragging on.
Finally, it was dinnertime. Hermione joined the throng of students that were headed to the Great Hall and went in, sitting at the Gryffindor table across from Harry and Ginny. The two watched in amazement as Hermione scarfed enough food for all of them.
"Um, you all right there Hermione?" Ginny asked.
Hermione swallowed and answered. "Yeah fine. I just want to get up to my room to finish some homework I've got."
Ginny nodded and said a small "Oh." and went back to eating.
Soon after, Hermione waved goodbye as she went upstairs to her room. Once inside she checked her watch. 8:30. "Almost time." She thought grimly. She paced the floor waiting for the time to pass. At 8:50, Hermione took a cloak from her trunk and put it on while heading downstairs. Luckily, Harry and Ginny seemed to have gone to bed already. She crept out of the common room and through the hallways toward the Entrance Hall. Once outside, she ran as fast as she could to the gates, afraid that she was late.
Hermione slowed to a walk as she passed through the gates. Where was he? Her watch said 8:58. And then, there he was, appearing out of thin air, holding onto an old torn hat. She squealed and threw her arms around him, holding him tight.
Draco gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Here, grab a hold. Don't want to be left behind."
Hermione did as he said, holding onto the hat with one hand, and him with the other.
The portkey activated and Hermione found herself in the large stone meeting room once again. Draco handed her the black cloak and mask that she had left behind when she left for Hogwarts. She put them on and grinned, obviously pleased.
Voldemort came out and addressed them all. "My loyal followers, tonight we go into battle! I don't have much to tell you except we will win!"
At this, the Death Eaters started cheering and Apparating to the warehouse. Once they were inside, they spread out and hid themselves among the crates and old abandoned junk. Draco and Hermione stationed themselves near the entrance door and sat there waiting.
The minutes ticked by, and still there was no sign of Dumbledore or his men. And then there were faint popping sounds that they knew to be the sounds of Apparition. The men tensed up, waiting. The front door opened and Aurors started to creep in silently. Draco, Hermione and the other Death Eaters at the front let them pass. They wanted as many Aurors inside so it would be harder for them to escape.
Hermione recognized a few of them. Tonks, Lupin, and oh ew, there was Snape. Hermione pulled a face to which Draco snickered silently when he saw who she was looking at. And then there Dumbledore himself, coming in last and shutting the door behind him.
The Death Eaters let them move towards the back of the room before jumping up to attack. It happened so fast that Hermione almost missed it. She jumped up and yelled the first spell that came to mind. "Incarcerous!" She yelled, her wand pointed at an Auror.
After that, it was every man (or woman) for themselves. Hermione saw many people on both sides go down. She and Draco stuck together as they moved through the warehouse, each protecting the other when it was needed.
They reached a group of Death Eaters that were hunched behind a stack of empty crates. Hermione and Draco crouched down with them.
"So what's the plan?" Draco asked them. "Are we capturing or killing?"
"The Dark Lord said he wanted as many captured as possible." One Death Eater said. "Harry most of all."
"He's not here though." Hermione explained. "Dumbledore didn't want us coming."
"Well then-"
He was cut off by a spell hitting the crates, making them dive for cover. Hermione crawled on her hands and knees behind another box and peeked around it. Imagine her surprise when she saw Lupin standing there. She got up, but bumped the box noisily, causing Lupin to turn around.
"Stupefy!" Hermione yelled, and Lupin fell to the ground. She cautiously walked over to him and looked at him. He glared at her, trying to move.
"Draco!" She called over her shoulder. "Help me move him." Lupin's eyes widened when Draco came into view.
Draco and Hermione each took a leg and dragged him behind a box, near the wall. They looked around and saw the battle had stopped. Everyone important on the other side had gotten away, save for Lupin. The two Disapparated back to the Death Eater's hideout, with Lupin in tow, and went to the stone meeting room.
The other Death Eaters were there, as was Voldemort, who was up on the platform, sitting in his throne. The two brought Lupin up there and dropped him, taking off their masks as they did so. Lupin's eyes widened when he saw her, but she just smirked at him.
"My Lord," Hermione said, kneeling and bowing her head. "Draco and I have brought back a prisoner for you."
Draco knelt down also. "Actually my Lord, it was Hermione who got him. I just helped carry him."
Voldemort nodded. "Very well. Impressive work Granger."
"Thank you my Lord." Hermione said, still kneeling. "If it is all right with you, I must be getting back now, before I'm missed."
"Of course." Voldemort nodded. "Draco here can escort you."
Hermione nodded and got up to leave, Draco following. They reached an Apparition point and left, landing right outside the Hogwart's gates.
Hermione turned to Draco, hugging him tightly. "I miss you. I don't like being away, pretending to be something I'm not." She mumbled into his robes.
Draco ran a hand through her hair. "I don't like it either." He said softly. "Let's just hope it doesn't last much longer."
Hermione nodded and tilted her head up to kiss him. It was a slow, deep kiss, each savoring the feel and taste of the other's lips. Finally they parted, whispering goodbye one last time.
Hermione slowly made her way up the grounds when she heard a soft pop! behind her. She turned around, but it had only been the sound of Draco Disapparating back to the hideout.
She made it to the castle doors when she realized that she was still wearing her black robes and carrying her mask. "Shit." She thought. "What the hell am I supposed to do now?" She took them off and stuffed them under her school robe, trying to smooth it out so it wouldn't make a bulge.
She crept down the hallways and up staircases, sometimes having to double back because of a teacher patrolling the halls. Finally, Hermione made it to the Fat Lady's portrait, who wasn't very happy about being woken up and only grudgingly let her in.
Hermione poked her head through the door and found the common room empty. She sighed in relief and slowly made her way up the stairs to the girl's dormitory. She went inside her room and got changed into her pajamas. She sat down on her bed and screamed when she sat down on someone instead.
Hermione's hands flew to cover her mouth. Oh dear Merlin, it was only Ginny, who sat up yawning.
"Hermione, where on Earth have you been. I came up here hours ago to check on you, but you weren't here." Ginny said, sitting up all the way.
Hermione gulped. "This can't be good." She thought, trying to think of an answer.
A/N: Yes, it's finally here!!! We just got internet a week ago, and I started to type this up and was on page 5, but I didn't save it and lost it. Needless to say I'm sure you understand that I didn't feel up to typing all that right again that day and then I just didn't have time till now to update! Sorry for any grammatical errors, I proofread it, but who knows, I mighta missed something. Please review!!