Hermione had her wand out before anyone else could even think to question their unusual exchange.
"Stupefy!"
"Hermione, what the-"
"Incarcerous! Harry, no!" Harry too had drawn his wand, presumably to reverse the jinxes that had just sent an unconscious Draco toppling face first into the carpet, bound head to toe in thick ropes, but Hermione all but threw herself between the two boys and determinedly blocked his attempts. Snape, Tonks, and Ginny were all on their feet, staring between Harry and Hermione in confusion.
"Will someone please explain what the hell is going on?" Ginny demanded.
"That's not Draco," Hermione said firmly.
"What d'you mean that's not Draco?" Harry asked.
"Harry, he answered wrong," Hermione almost snapped. "I could tell by the looks on your faces that you had no idea what that song meant, and rightly so - that was something only the real Draco should know, and it was something that he would neither forget nor ever even think to give up. Even if he'd gotten the answer right, he's still missing something - he's not wearing his necklace. Have you ever known Draco to take his necklace off?"
Harry rolled the body on the floor onto its back so they could see the neck. Hermione was right - the familiar glint of gold was missing.
"The imposter managed to mimic Draco's usual attire fairly well, I'll give him that - probably a duplication spell on whatever Draco was wearing today," Hermione began. She glanced over at Snape, silently questioning if her theory was plausible - the Potions master said nothing but nodded in acknowledgement.
"That necklace, though, wouldn't have copied - it's impervious to that sort of thing, and of course we know that only the owner can take it off. Whoever this is didn't consider the possibility that Draco always wears the necklace - a minor detail, to be sure, but one that cost him."
"Well, at least one of you pays attention to detail," Tonks said with a low whistle. "The question is - if that's not Draco, then who is it, and where is Draco?"
"I suspect that Mr. Black is still at Malfoy Manor," Snape said, speaking for the first time. "That house has largely been left alone for the last ten years, as the Dark Lord's forces see no reason to return. The fact that this person took the time and risk to either brew or steal Polyjuice potion - no charm can duplicate a person's looks quite so effectively - and then sneak into the manor to confront Mr. Black leads me to believe that he is working alone. Lupin found it acceptable to leave Draco on his own - he would not have done so if there were any hint of a large group on the property."
"What are we going to do, Professor?" Hermione asked.
"You, Miss Granger, are going to remain here - all of you. Tonks, you are an Auror - you should know what to do. Call for Shacklebolt if you feel you need assistance, he will come. I will go to the manor." Without waiting for acknowledgement or acceptance of his plan, Snape swept from the office.
Draco groaned, resisting the urge to put a hand to the throbbing pain he could feel on the back of his head - he must've hit it harder than he thought. He yelped and scrambled for his wand when he realized he wasn't alone.
"Mr. Black, calm yourself," a deep voice drawled. Draco blinked several times, and the stern face of Severus Snape swam into focus.
"Professor..." he said. "What are you doing here?"
"Fixing your mistakes, you foolish boy!" Snape spat. "What were you thinking, coming into this house alone? Telling Lupin to leave you here, alone? Leaving the house unwarded while you explored it, alone?"
"Lupin couldn't get in, it wasn't his fault!" Draco retorted. "There was a ward preventing werewolves from entering - and what do you mean, I left the house unwarded? I felt them shift when I walked through!"
"That doesn't mean you fixed them, Draco, they just recognized you as the master of the house! Obviously whoever arranged this little outing neglected to tell you exactly what needed to be done to secure the place." Snape trailed off before muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, "Imbeciles."
"Lupin left because I asked him to," Draco said. "He couldn't enter the grounds anyway, and I found Bob Granger - Hermione's father - in the cellar. He was still alive, Professor - I couldn't just leave him to die. Dobby took him to Lupin, and they all went for help, presumably to headquarters."
Snape was silent for a moment as he processed Draco's tale. So Hermione's father was alive - that was an unexpected twist. That explained the Patronuses they'd received before the imposter's arrival - Lupin wanted them to come as soon as they could so they could see for themselves.
"Be that as it may, I expected you to have a firmer head on your shoulders, Mr. Black," Snape said sternly. "Charging into an unknown like a Gryffindor will do you no favors." Draco nodded, looking properly ashamed, and Snape strode to the open window, where he began muttering a series of spells, streams of barely discernible light flowing from his wand. Draco felt the wards shifting around him in a sort of caress as Snape worked, and he watched in fascination, not sure what the older man was doing but interested all the same. Finally, Snape lowered his wand, then shut and latched the window.
"It is done," he said. "I have removed the ward keeping part-humans out, and from now on, no one may enter the property without your express permission."
"Thank you, sir," Draco said sincerely. Snape moved away from the window and sat in one of the leather chairs in front of the desk. In doing so, he caught sight of the portrait - Narcissa looked scared, but not nearly as much as Draco recalled from when the duel had begun.
"Forgive my rudeness, Narcissa," Snape said. "It seems your son has developed a Gryffindor streak. I hope you are well."
"Well enough, Severus, thank you," she replied, running her slender fingers over the blossoms at her side. Snape nodded curtly and returned his attention to Draco.
"Explain," he said. Draco sucked a breath in through his teeth and nodded, knowing exactly what Snape meant by the command.
"I had been exploring the study when Narcissa cried out," he began. "I turned around..."
Draco whirled around at Narcissa's shriek, slamming the safe shut as he simultaneously dropped to the floor – the action cost him precious seconds, but there was no way in hell anyone else was getting into that safe, especially not when he hadn't really looked through the rest of its contents. A hex hissed as it hit the wall exactly where Draco had just been standing, and he groaned internally as he caught sight of his assailant.
Of course, he thought. How could I have been so stupid? That window wasn't left open by accident...that bird wasn't just a bird...it should've clicked when I saw that it was a hunting bird...a falcon...
"Mr. Black," the intruder said, a sneer contorting his hooked nose in a decidedly unattractive manner. "I vould say it vas a pleasure to see you, but I don't think that vould be appropriate."
"Krum," Draco spat. "What the hell are you doing in my house?" Krum smirked and twirled his wand in his fingers - Draco thought about attempting a Disarming charm, but the Bulgarian had lightning-fast reflexes and would most likely dodge one easily.
"Vouldn't you like to know," Krum said. "Perhaps I vas feeding my pet Muggle."
"You bastard!" Draco snarled, bristling at the cruel mention of Hermione's father. "What did you do to him?"
"Nothing of concern. I vas not even involved in the original operation, but vhen I heard this Muggle belonged to the lovely Miss Granger...vell, I could not say no."
"You disgust me," Draco said, his eyes narrowed to slits. "Bob Granger is a person, not property." Krum snorted.
"He is a Muggle, nothing more. He is not important to this conversation - vhat is more important is vhat you are doing here. Vhat did you find that vas so interesting?"
"Nothing of concern," Draco said, echoing Krum's earlier words. "I daresay nothing in this house is any concern of yours, actually."
"And that is vhere you are wrong, Mr. Black." Krum's eyes darkened, his expression dangerous. "You are of great concern to me - I know that you haff a Portkey in your possession, and you vill tell me vhen it leaves and vhere it is taking you."
"Hmm...how about not?" Draco scoffed. "I've already sent a message to my friends - they'll be here any minute." Krum chuckled.
"Nice try, Mr. Black, but you haff had no time to do something like that. You are alone, and you vill give me vhat I vant."
Draco barely had time to think that Krum was one of those villains who liked to talk entirely too much when another hex came flying his way, this one jet black.
"Protego!" The hex collided with his shield and rebounded, Krum leaping out of the way as it crashed into the wall, burning a hole into the stone. The two began dueling fiercely, multicolored lights shooting back and forth. Krum had, of course, been chosen as a Triwizard champion, which required prodigious magical skill in its own right, and Draco had no doubt that the Bulgarian had had further training in the Dark Arts since then - it was all Draco could do to keep up. Finally, a Body-Bind Curse hit its mark, and Draco fell to the ground, unable to move. Krum sauntered over and crouched beside him, a victorious smirk on his face.
"Now...vhere is the Portkey?" he asked quietly. Draco, of course, couldn't answer, but he glared at Krum as best he could.
"Very vell - ve shall do this the hard vay, then."
Draco was then hit with a spell he didn't recognize, but he immediately knew what Krum was doing - he was searching his memories. Draco knew that shielding was a key element of Occlumency, but as he'd never formally practiced it before, he didn't know how, and it was all he could do to keep Krum from his thoughts of the Slytherin ring and other important, secret memories. Fortunately, Krum seemed unconcerned with learning anything other than the Portkey's location and retracted the spell as soon as he'd gotten what he was after. Unfortunately, however, Draco was still frozen, and therefore couldn't stop Krum from fishing around for the little token in his pocket.
"Excellent," Krum said, pocketing the Portkey. He then grabbed a fistful of Draco's hair and yanked hard, ripping a few of the hairs away. Reaching into his robes, he removed a small vial - he added the hairs, and the sludgy potion within turned the color of liquid silver. Horrified, Draco watched as Krum swallowed the potion and began to change before him until he was staring at an exact double of himself. With a wave of his wand, Krum's robes morphed into duplicates of Draco's own Muggle clothing.
"A pleasure, Mr. Black," Krum said, his voice now sounding just like Draco's. "But I cannot have you following me, so..."
A jet of light was the last thing Draco saw before he blacked out.
"Foolish boy," Snape repeated when Draco finished his tale, though the reprimand lacked the sharp undertone from before. "You're lucky you weren't badly injured, or even killed. I hope you've learned your lesson and will act more appropriately in the future."
"Yes, sir," Draco muttered, deliberately staring at the floor instead of the dark-haired man seated across from him. He'd been scolded by teachers before, of course – honestly, what student didn't get into at least a spot of trouble now and then at Hogwarts? It was almost impossible – but Snape wasn't just a teacher; he was his godfather, and Draco felt like he'd disappointed him.
"It is time you returned to Hogwarts," Snape said. "The rest of your party is waiting for you there, and we've already received messages stressing the importance of your timely return to headquarters."
"Hermione's dad," Draco breathed.
"Yes. I'm sure you're quite eager to tell Miss Granger the whole riveting tale." Snape's tone suggested that he'd rather be done with the whole thing, thank you very much, and Draco didn't object when Snape rose to his feet and held out yet another Portkey.
"It was lovely to see you again, my dear," Narcissa said softly. "I know I'm not really her, but if there's anything I can do for you, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you," Draco replied sincerely. "I'm glad I got the chance to talk to you, and I'll come back as soon as I can." He touched a finger to the token and nodded to Snape, and the two vanished.
Hermione, Harry, Ginny, and Tonks had been discussing the various reasons why they were being called home so urgently when Draco and Snape arrived. Hermione raised her wand, and the others immediately backed off, curious to see what would happen if the security question played out as it should.
"Dragon, my soul was weak, forgive me." Hermione's voice wasn't perfect, but the tune was clear and sweet all the same. Draco, who'd thrown up his hands in the universal placating gesture when Hermione had drawn her wand, swallowed heavily, his mind immediately returning to that memorable night.
"Lotte, you're always forgiven."
There was no need for a confirming second question – that moment was theirs alone, and they immediately flew into each other's arms, Draco cradling Hermione's face in his hands as he kissed her passionately. It was only when Snape pointedly cleared his throat that they broke apart, their faces flushed, but they refused to let go of one another, instead resting their foreheads together and relishing in the feel of being together again.
"I missed you," Draco said softly, his thumbs lightly grazing Hermione's cheekbones.
"I missed you too," she replied. "Did you find…"
"The ring? I did." Draco let go of her face and withdrew his necklace, holding it up so Hermione could see the silver and green ring.
"Oh, this is wonderful!" Hermione exclaimed. "I was just going to ask if you'd found anything interesting – I never guessed you'd have found that as well!"
"It was the counterpart to this," Draco said, gesturing to Narcissa's ring. "The gift from my paternal grandparents – it was Slytherin's ring, all this time."
"But that means we have all four of them!" Hermione said, turning to face the room at large. "Harry has the Gryffindor ring, and Ginny, Tonks and I found Ravenclaw's – we have them all!"
"Which reminds me," Harry said with a frown, "what are we supposed to do with them? Professor Dumbledore said he wanted us to leave them here at Hogwarts, but he's not even here to open the archives room for us."
"You are to leave them in that box on his desk," Snape drawled, pointing to the object in question. It was a beautifully carved wooden box – very similar, Harry thought, to the one in which he'd found the Gryffindor ring, except this one had a phoenix on the open lid. The Hufflepuff ring lay inside, the spaces beside it offering just the right amount of room for the other three.
"The box will only open for the headmaster, so be sure you've stored everything you need to before you close it," Snape explained. One by one, Harry, Draco, and Hermione each removed the founders' rings from their necklaces and nestled them carefully into the padded box with their fellows. The four rings looked innocent sitting on the purple lining, but the teenagers all knew they could only imagine the raw power they contained. With one last look at the rings, Harry gently closed the box, a series of soft clicks and sliding gears sounding as it sealed itself.
"Where is the imposter?" Snape asked, having noticed the instant they'd arrived that the unconscious 'Draco' was no longer there.
"Krum," Hermione spat, looking positively venomous, "is at the Ministry with Kingsley, hopefully staring at his one-way ticket to Azkaban."
"Lotte, calm down," Draco said soothingly, placing his hand on Hermione's arm.
"It's what he deserves," she insisted, though she relaxed a little at his touch.
"Headquarters," Snape said. He held out the final Portkey of the evening, and everyone groaned.
"You know perfectly well that Apparition is impossible within the castle grounds, and Dumbledore only opens the Floo in emergencies," Snape said impatiently. "Unless you want to call for the Knight Bus, this is your only option if you wish to return to London tonight." Harry grabbed for the Portkey as soon as Snape said the words 'Knight Bus' – he'd ridden the tumultuous vehicle in his second year and wished never to repeat the experience if possible – and Draco followed close behind, as he knew what was waiting for them at home. The girls soon followed suit, and a jerk to their midsections sent them hurtling towards Grimmauld Place.
"Took you long enough," Sirius quipped as he opened the door and let them in. "What happened?"
"Rescue mission," Harry replied with a grin. "What'd you need us home so quickly for?"
"Rescue mission?" Sirius questioned, raising his eyebrows.
"Later," Draco urged. "Where is he?"
"Where is who?" Hermione asked sharply. "What's going on?"
"St. Mungo's," Lupin replied, striding into the room. "He's going to be fine – we can Side-Along there."
"Who's in St. Mungo's?" Ginny repeated. "Professor-"
"Gin, we'll explain when we get there," Draco said quickly. "Please, can we just go?"
"Mr. Black, you will need to be checked as well," Snape said. "There is no telling what curse Krum actually used on you, and we need to be sure there are no lingering effects."
"Krum?" Sirius said sharply. "As in, Viktor Krum?"
"Afterwards," Draco insisted. "Please." He understood Snape's concerns, and he would gladly answer Sirius' questions later, but nothing was going to keep him from this reunion. Snape's dark eyes narrowed, but he finally sighed in exasperation.
"So be it," he said. He then turned to Lupin. "I must return to Hogwarts."
"We can take it from here," Lupin assured him. Snape nodded curtly and left, his robes swirling behind him in their usual menacing fashion.
"Grab on, everyone," Sirius said. Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Draco each found someone to Side-Along with, and they were soon in the brightly lit lobby of St. Mungo's.
"This way," Lupin said, leading them right past the welcome desk to the lifts. "I've got the room number from when we brought him in."
"Brought who in?" Hermione asked again, her patience wearing thin. "Who is-"
"Lotte, just give us a minute," Draco begged. "Let us show you." Hermione narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
"What is going on?" she hissed, barely paying attention to where they were going. Moments later, they stopped outside one of the hospital's many nondescript doors, and Lupin knocked.
"Bob?" he called, opening the door. "You've got visitors." Hermione's eyes widened almost comically.
"Bob?" she whispered. "No…no…it can't be…"
"See for yourself," Draco said quietly, nudging her forward. Hermione trembled with every step, and she gasped and clapped her hands to her mouth when she finally saw who was in the bed.
"Hi, Hermione," Bob Granger said.
"Daddy…" Hermione moved forward as if in a trance, her eyes never leaving her father's form.
"It's ok, pumpkin – it's ok."
The familiar endearment did the trick – the dam broke, and Hermione began to cry, great, wracking sobs shaking her whole body as she sank into the chair by her father's bed. She reached for his hand and clasped it like a lifeline, squeezing it over and over as if to confirm that he was really there.
"You're alive – oh, thank God, you're alive…"
"Alive and kicking," Bob said, cracking a smile. "It'll take more than a few pesky wizards to take down your dear old dad." Hermione laughed through her tears.
"But…I don't understand. What happened? Where were you?"
"Well… the first is a bit of a story, which you might have to wait a bit to hear – I'd rather like to do it justice, if I may. As for your second question – it appears I was in Draco's ancestral home, for at least the last few days or so."
"You were in Malfoy Manor?" Hermione repeated, her eyes even wider than before. "But then…" She turned to Draco. "Were you the one who found him?"
"Yes," Draco said quietly. "He'd been imprisoned in the manor's basement – I had Dobby Apparate him out to Lupin, and then I presume they brought him here."
Draco almost immediately found himself choking on an excessive quantity of brown curls as Hermione threw herself into his arms, sobbing anew.
"You saved him," she whimpered. "Dragon…oh my God…"
"Shh," Draco soothed, running his hands up and down her back in an attempt to calm her. "Lotte, it's ok…shh, sweetheart, don't cry…"
"My dad…my dad's alive," Hermione choked out. "And you probably saved his life…" She sniffed loudly, sat up, and wiped her eyes on her sleeve, then pulled Draco to her and kissed him with everything she had. They were both breathless when they finally broke apart, much to the amusement of the room's other occupants. Bob Granger's eyes were twinkling, and Draco flushed, recalling his conversation with the older man in the manor basement.
"Thank you," Hermione whispered. "You have no idea how much this means to me – I love you so much." She brushed her lips against Draco's once more before settling against his chest with a contented sigh.
"I love you too, Lotte," Draco murmured as he stroked her hair. "Always."
A/N: Oh, I do like this chapter - we know what happened to Draco (nobody caught on re: the bird), everyone's together again, Hermione knows about her dad, & we had just a little bit of Dramione fluff. All around good combo, I think. ;)
I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day & treated your moms well (or did/will if you're from a country that celebrates it on a different day)!
Thanks for all the follows/faves/reviews, & for reading! You guys are the best.
JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R&R, & enjoy! :)