Motives

Breathing heavily, Hermione Granger leaned against the locked door. The cool wood felt refreshing against her flushed skin. He was not what she had expected. He was no longer the cowering boy she once knew. He had grown taller, and despite the cloak she could tell his shoulders were broader. She shivered as she remembered the silver glint in his eyes as he looked down on her.

She gave herself a shake to clear her thoughts. He was still the same Malfoy- vain, arrogant, a brute.

She loathed him. That is why she had agreed to take this mission.

"No, I won't let you do this."

"Let go of my arm, Ronald," she said, jerking out of her grasp. She glared angrily at him. He had no right telling her what to do. After breaking off the engagement, she had wanted nothing to do with him, but he still followed her everywhere like a lost puppy. At least on the mission she would be away from him.

He turned to face her, desperation in his eyes. "What would Harry have though?"

She looked away, tears forming in her eyes. Even after a year, the memory of his death still stung sharply. She thought back on that night, during the Great Battle.

Voldemort had penetrated Hogwarts, along with a force of Death Eaters. They were outnumbered two to one, but they seemed so sure anyway. At first they were winning. They had already taken out Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange, though Tonks had been badly injured and for a few hours Neville had been missing.

But then, the tides suddenly turned. Draco Malfoy, who had gone missing the night of Dumbledore's death, suddenly reappeared. Harry had chased him. Hermione had gone to follow with Ron close behind, covering her as she ran, but it was too late. There was a sudden explosion and the corridor Harry had been running down collapsed. In blind fear, she continued to fight, refusing to believe that it was truly over. Finally, when Voldemort walked out from the rubble, she knew it was the end. She tried to call the retreat, but most were to exhausted to get out. It was a massacre.

The bloodshed continued for months as families of the members of the Order of the Phoenix were hunted and killed. Those who survived now lived hand to mouth, disguised and scattered about the country. Death Eaters, no openly in control of the Ministry, routinely checked owls and monitored the floo network, making communication near impossible.

However, the remaining members of the Order continued on. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny had all managed to survive, though Ginny had become a shell of her former self since Harry's death. Together, they had become underground Aurors, mainly spying on prominent Death Eaters and trying to prevent the ongoing slaughter of anyone left in the Order and their family.

Draco Malfoy was the last piece in the puzzle in learning how Harry died.

Turning back to face Ron, she brushed the tears out of her eyes. "Harry would understand."

With that, she pivoted on her heel and walked out, ready to leave him. For good.