Disclaimer: The only thing that I own here is the order in which the words are written. I suppose I could claim a part of the idea, but I don't think that would hold up in court if it were challenged.
Chapter 10: Blue, Grey, and Red
She had no idea how much time passed by as she clung to the dragon, peering at the ground beneath her, fretting. She had so much to fret about. Now they had another Horcrux, but how would they destroy it? Where would they go to find the last Horcrux? They didn't even know what it was!
And what about Malfoy?
She drew a breath, glancing up at him as he clung to the dragon's steely scales. His eyes were closed against the wind, the skin around them grey, rimmed with red. What about Malfoy, she thought again, slowly. He was a problem that she just couldn't fathom, a mystery that she had little time to explore. "The real Draco Malfoy is at Malfoy Manor too!" Travers had said. She mused on that quietly. She was pretty sure that the shaken boy ahead of her was the genuine Malfoy.
Or was he? Was he the boy that taunted her since age eleven, the boy who joined the Death Eaters at age sixteen, who had grown up with their ideals and views? Why would he just... change sides? Help them destroy the man that he once called master?
Her mind drifted to the conversations that they had shared at Shell Cottage. Who had she been talking to?
Ahead of her, Malfoy drew a shuttering breath, his shoulders shaking... or was it just the wind? Regardless, she could easily see that he was just as confused (and far more upset) than her. How could he be anyone other than who he said he was? And not know about it? No, the 'Draco Malfoy' at Malfoy Manor had to be the impostor.
She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on other things, other issues... but gradually, the rhythm of the dragon beneath her lulled her into a daze – not sleep, heavens no! – but a trance of sorts. Her mind wandered freely, never settling on anything. Images of golden cups, of rolls of fresh parchment, of lilac trees and blue eyes narrowed in suspicion... they all rolled through her mind. She had no control of them. Even as she tried to take hold of an image, a memory, it would bent, contort...
A waltz drifted through her mind, she was dancing with Ron at the wedding… punching Malfoy in third year... then begging him to get on the dragon... ocean air, breaking windows, holding hands with Ron, his skin warm and soft...
When she felt a hand on her foot, it was hard to tell if it was real or not. She almost jumped, but was luckily able to keep herself down, clutching to the dragon as it soared. "Hermione," Ron called over the wind, "Hermione, the dragon is going down!"
She cracked her eyes open. Cautiously, she peered over the edge of the dragon, at the ground far below... but it wasn't so far below anymore. She could make out details in the deep green mountains, could see a great number of small lakes flashing in the light of the now sinking sun.
The dragon was spiraling down, in giant, sweeping circles. It seemed to be drawing closer to one of the lakes. "I say we jump when it gets low enough!" she heard Harry yell. "Straight into the water before it realizes we're here!"
"Okay!" shouted Ron.
"Mm-hmm..." Hermione said faintly, watching the lake grow larger beneath her.
"Wait – " Malfoy began faintly, but before he could finish, Harry shouted.
"NOW!"
Hermione, closing her eyes, threw herself off of the dragon. For an almost giddy moment she hung in the air, then, with tremendous force, she slammed into the lake. She was immediately entangled in the reeds. She kicked frantically, clawing for the surface, where she grabbed a quick, gasping breath before sinking again. Kicking madly, she threw herself to the side, needing to find water shallow enough to stand in. It didn't take too long; the lake seemed to be very shallow. Soon she was fighting her way through reeds and mud and, before too long, she flopped onto the grassy bank, shaking and coughing.
She heard Ron and Harry, beside her, rise to their feet. Harry was muttering something, protective spells, maybe, and Ron was panting... but nothing from Malfoy. Thinking back, she hadn't seen him in the water, either. "M-Malfoy..." she choked out between coughs.
"Present," she heard him say absently.
She shot up to a sitting position, looking toward the voice. He stood a short distance off, looking down, still a bit paler than usual. "Oh," she sighed, shaking. She again began to cough, noticing that he wasn't out of breath, wasn't even wet. Finally, she recovered enough to gasp, "How – how did you get over here? Why aren't you wet?"
"Apparated," he said flatly, not glancing up. "It seemed a good idea."
"Oh," she said, beginning to recover her breath. "Apparated. Wait - you apparated off of the back of a flying dragon? Is that possible?"
"Obviously." Malfoy said, "It's hard to apparate onto a moving object. But off of one?" He gave a weak shrug. "Just required a bit of concentration. Much easier than what you did."
"Possibly." She looked across the lake and saw the dragon, now landed, drinking deeply from the lake. It reminded her of something, a bone she had to pick with Malfoy. "Why," she began, standing up to face him, her breathing heavy, but now controlled, "Didn't you take my hand before, getting on the dragon?"
He looked up, face expressionless. "I can't touch – "
"Yes, yes, I know, or You-Know Who will know where we are. But he was going to find out we were there anyways! It wouldn't really matter if – "
"How long do you think it would take him to get there?" Malfoy asked, eyes narrowed. "And we were in quite the vulnerable spot. Not much you can do on the back of a dragon, not many places to run, to hide." He smiled wryly. He was no longer as pale, a flush had risen in his cheeks. "No. I got on the dragon fine, so I can't see why – "
"Do you know how close that was?" she seethed.
He crossed his arms. "Yeah. I think I noticed."
"You made it, yes, but you almost didn't, and then where would we be?"
He raised his eyebrows. "Exactly where you were before I showed up? Pretty much where you are now?" He gave a half smile. "I was just supposed to get you into the bank... are you saying I'm needed now? I feel so important!"
Hermione felt her cheeks heat. "Oh... I – I'm just so used to the planning, to all of us talking, and..." she rambled. He just broadened his grin.
After finishing casting the protective spells, Harry approached. Hermione was shocked by the number of burns across his hands and face, at the large scorch marks across his cloak. Scars from the Gringotts vault. "Oh, Harry," she moaned, wincing. "Here, let me get the essence of dittany..."
"What?" he asked, looking confused. "Oh..." he glanced down at the burns, "That... that can wait. Let's destroy the cup, now."
"We can't, Harry," Ron said, walking over. "Remember? Nothing to destroy it with. I guess we'll just be carrying it around, like the locket."
Harry grinned widely, and pulled a silver sword out from his cloak... Gryffindor's sword.
"How...?" Ron began, before trailing off.
"The vault. It was there, just sitting on a shelf."
"It's just the duplicate, Harry..." Hermione said, biting her lip. "They had a fake, a copy in the vault..."
"Bellatrix has had the real sword for weeks, now. Since we escaped Malfoy Manor." Harry said. "Don't you think she would have put it in the vault and taken the duplicate out?"
"I don't know, would she have?"
"There's only one way to find out," Harry said, pulling the small golden cup from his robes. He handed Hermione the sword. "I think you should take this one, Hermione."
She took a step back, letting the tip of the sword fall to the grass. She lifted it weakly, testing the weight. She glanced back at Malfoy, who was staring back and forth between the cup and the sword, entranced, forehead creased in confusion. They had never told him what they wanted to steal from the vault, or what it meant to Voldemort. He had no clue what they were doing.
"Are you sure, Harry..." she squeaked.
Harry gave a shrug. "It... feels right. Ron and I have both had our turns, you know."
She bit her lip and raised the sword above the cup. She gazed down into the cup, the shining gold... it reflected the evening sky above, turning the rim blue. She still held the sword aloft, but slackened her fierce hold on it. It looks like an eye, she thought to herself. A blue eye, with a large, shadowy pupil... even as she thought this, the rim turned a blood red.
"Hermione?" Ron nudged her gently.
A memory she had recently dug up slammed back into her mind. A waltz. She was dancing with Ron, surrounded by joyous wedding guests and gold decorations... his hand was at her waist, and her shoes were beginning to make her feet hurt... Then, for some reason, everything was golden, shining, blinding. She looked up to Ron, scared, but he was glaring at her, his blue eyes the only other color in sight. As she stared at them, grey rolled in, like storm clouds over a summer sky. They flashed with lightning. She screamed as his hand, still on her waist, grew blistering hot... she was burning, burning...
Then she was alone, freezing, in the rain, shouting Ron's name, but he was gone now... he had left... she felt the forest floor crush beneath her feet...
...then she saw that same corridor at Hogwarts, and again saw the pale boy sagged on the bench... but this time, when she reached out to brush his hand, it too was scorching. He smiled strangely at her as she gasped in pain...
"Hermione! Kill it," Harry said giving her a soft shake. She shrieked as his hand contacted her.
"Don't – don't..." she gasped, her breathing heavy.
"Just stab it," Harry said mildly, stepping back.
She gazed down at the cup, which winked up at her, rim a swirling red. Immediately, she felt an image worm into her, she was thirteen, ready to strike Malfoy across the face... Before the memory could continue, turn nightmarish, she closed her eyes tightly and thrust the sword downward with as much force as she could. There was a shill scream, a flash of red light that burned her closed eyes, and a pain in her hand... then all was silent.
"I think that is the real sword," Harry said quietly.
She fell to her knees, drained. Ron stepped over, to stroke her back, but she recoiled from his touch. "Did you all see those... those things..." she whispered.
"No..." Ron said softly.
The slight hush that had fallen after the destruction of the Horcrux was soon broken. "What was that thing?" Malfoy shouted. Hermione opened her eyes to see him crouched in front of her, eyes wide in shock, running his hand through his disheveled hair. He was looking from her to the cracked cup. "What in Merlin's name was that?"
"A Horcrux," she murmured, as Ron winced.
"Um, Hermione? Should we really be telling – "
"It's fine, Ron," said Harry. "A Horcrux is – "
"Horcrux?" Malfoy said, standing up, his breathing a bit elevated. "Horcrux. Horcrux, you said? Horcrux..." He paled slightly. "I know something about that..."
"What?" Harry said, stepping closer. "You know of Horcruxes? But how?"
"I don't know, I don't know... just heard something, maybe? Yeah, I heard it somewhere... it has something to do with The Dark Lord, right? Something about..." he squinted, "something about you, Potter..." He frowned deeply.
"Horcruxes are what You-Know-Who has been using to stay alive," Harry said slowly. "He can't really die until they are all destroyed... that's how he came back, you see."
"So why did it... scream like that?"
"I bit of his soul was in it... Hermione killed it."
"Oh." He met her eyes for a moment. "I see." He paused a moment, frowning again. "I – I don't like that word... it leaves..." he gave a nervous shrug. "It leaves a sour feeling in my mind, if you know what I mean..."
"It's very dark magic," Hermione said softly, still clutching the sword.
"Yes... I suppose..." He frowned, thoughtful. "Where did I hear it, though? I just can't remember, can't... can't figure it out..."
"You're a Death Eater, for heaven's sake!" Ron said, rolling his eyes. "You could have just picked it up somewhere."
Lucius Malfoy was in posession of a Horcrux, Hermione thought, and I bet he's never heard the word. Voldemort didn't discuss his secrets with his followers. She thought of speaking up, but, looking at Malfoy, she didn't wish to confuse him any more. He was taking in a lot of strange information, taking part in a lot of strange activities. Better to leave things alone, for now.
Malfoy nodded absently to Ron. "I... don't like it. He glared down at the mutilated cup. "I don't like it one bit."
"Agh!" Harry suddenly cried out. Hermione stood up sharply, turning to see him as he crumpled to the ground, hand on his scar.
She took a step closer, but stopped when Ron shook his head. "Let it happen," he said quietly, wincing as he watched his friend squirm.
"Is – is he okay?" Malfoy asked, dumbfounded.
"'Course not," Ron said. "But this is nothing new."
"What?" He looked at Hermione, eyes wide.
She bit her lip. "It's his connection to You-Know-Who." He squinted at her, obviously waiting for her to continue. She didn't.
After a few minutes, Harry opened his eyes. With a shiver, he pushed himself to his feet. "He knows," he said hoarsely.
"He knows what?" asked Malfoy.
"He knows that we stole the Horcrux! He knows, and he's going to check where the others are, and the last one is at Hogwarts. I knew it. I knew it."
"What?" Ron gaped.
"What did you see? How do you know?" Hermione asked.
"What? You don't trust him?" Malfoy asked. "If Potter says it's at Hogwarts, I'm willing to bet that's where it is. What is it?"
"The last Horcrux." Harry said.
"No, I mean what is it? Another cup?"
"Don't know, probably not a cup - "
"Did you see where in Hogwarts it is?" Ron asked.
"No, he was concentrating on warning Snape, he didn't think about exactly where it is – "
"So," Malfoy said, frowning, "You'll be searching for something, though you don't really know what, somewhere inside of Hogwarts, though you don't really know where."
"Yes. Exactly." Harry affirmed, pulling out the invisibility cloak.
"Wait, wait!" Hermione cried. "You're not just planning on just going, are you? We haven't got a plan, we need to – "
"We need to get going! Can you imagine what he's going to do once he realized the ring and locket are gone? What if he moves the Hogwarts Horcrux, decides it isn't safe enough?"
"But how will we get in?" She asked. It was lunacy, they had no hope!
"We'll go to Hogsmeade," he said quickly, "and try to work something out once we see what the protection around the school's like. Get under the cloak, Hermione."
"But we don't really fit, and Malfoy – "
"It'll be dark, no one's going to notice our feet. Umm, Malfoy..." He bit his lip, looking up at their pale companion.
Malfoy gave a weak smile. "I'm pretty good at disillusion charms. I'll be around. Let's just pick somewhere to meet up."
"Hog's Head," Harry said without hesitation, "Behind the shop. You know the place?"
"Yeah."
On the opposite shore of the lake, the dragon stepped away from the water and took to the darkening skies, great wings beating at the air. Hermione watched it as it climbed up and over a mountain. "Will it be alright?" She whispered to no one.
"You sound like Hagrid," Ron laughed softly. "It's a dragon, Hermione, it can look after itself."
Malfoy chucked.
Sighing, Hermione walked over to Harry and Ron, standing between them. Malfoy waited silently as Harry pulled the cloak over them, tugging it as far down as possible. Hermione watched as he examined the seemingly empty space where they had been standing. His grey eyes dropped to their feet, still quite visible in the grass. He smirked, before pulling out a wand and muttering to himself. Before to long, only his faint outline could be seen.
"Now," Harry called, and each of them turned on the spot, anticipating just what waited for them in Hogsmeade, the town where they had spent so many cheerful hours in the not too distant past.
ThisBirdTooHasFlown speaking: Thank you all so much for the reviews! Particularly MyMagicalExistencex14... I'm flattered. Very, very flattered. Anyways, keep the reviewing up! It really helps motivate me in writing!