Chapter Four
Twelve O'clock
Hermione climbed into her bed, and pulled the drapes closed around her. Then, she pretended to sleep. Every few minutes she idly clicked the button on the side of her wristwatch, an aqua light flooding her. It was eleven forty five. She still had a while to wait.
It could be a trap, she thought. Maybe this was a grand scheme. Malfoy wasn't dumb, he could easily have come up with such a thing. Maybe right then he was laughing about it with his friends, talking about how he tricked Hermione Granger, the so-called greatest witch of the age, and how he was going to kill her. Nothing would stop him... Harry, and Ron knew nothing about what she was going to do. If they did, they wouldn't let her go.
When she had come back to the common room last night her friends were in the middle of a chess game, and she knew better than to try to disturb them. Harry had a hard enough time as it was beating Ron. If she so much as looked over their shoulders she would be blamed by the loser. It was a nice excuse not to speak with them. She could be as secretive as they come, but sometimes she wanted very badly to tell them everything. It was extremely hard in their third year, and Ron made it no easier questioning her whereabouts. It was like a weight off her shoulders when they learned the truth.
To avoid any confrontations she had gone to bed early, not bothering to slip on her pajamas. She went to bed in her school robe, with her wand securely in her pocket.
She found herself again, checking her watch. It was eleven fifty five. It was time that she left. Crookshanks stared up at her with yellow eyes curiously, but laid his head back down.
A Hogwarts History was one of her favorite books, and she was close to having it memorized. She repeated a few of the passages in her head while she stepped out of the portrait, and into the hall. She wanted to keep her mind off of Malfoy, and the possibility that she had been tricked. She didn't want to question why she was meeting him. She knew that if he didn't kill her now, he would kill her later. Better now, than later.
Hermione immediately saw Malfoy waiting by two gargoyle statues when she walked into the entrance hall. He leaned against the wall, his eyes down to his own watch. When she was several feet in front of him, he glanced up, and she thought she saw a flicker of a smirk. Her hand brushed against her pocket feeling her wand.
"Haven't changed your mind, have you, Malfoy?"
He snorted, "no, I said I would do it, and I will. I keep my word." She rolled her eyes as he looked away not seeing her. He stared at the statues expectantly. "Know the password?"
"Berry Bites," she said with her prefect knowledge. The two gargoyles jumped to the side, and the wall revealed a spiraling staircase that Hermione jumped on, Malfoy a few seconds late stepped beside her, and the staircase moved like a muggle escalator taking them up.
Hermione was starting to feel dizzy when it finally stopped, and they were in front of a large oak door. She felt a bit bad about knocking. She could only imagine Dumbledore fast asleep. It felt wrong to disturb him. He wasn't exactly young... He had a long white beard, half-moon spectacles, and a rather crooked nose that looked as if it had been broken a couple of times early in his life.
A few sharp knocks later the door opened, and Dumbledore stood there in a baby blue gown, and nightcap. He was clearly sleeping, but even when he was woken up he had the familiar twinkle in his eye, but he looked curiously down at the pair.
"Miss Granger, Mr. Malfoy, what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
Hermione cleared her throat nervously. "I'm really sorry about this Professor, we didn't mean to wake you, but Malfoy has something he would like to tell you."
"Miss Granger, if you didn't mean to wake me, you wouldn't have, but never mind that, never mind. Come on in, I'll put on a pot of tea."
Hermione, and Malfoy sat in two of the three comfy chairs by the fireplace that burst into life by Dumbledore's wand. The cold chamber started warming, and Hermione felt sleep creeping up on her, her eyes slowly closing until Malfoy painfully jabbed her in the arm. She sat straight up, giving him a short glare before taking the teacup in her hands.
After being served Dumbledore sat across from them, his elbows on the chair, his fingertips touching under his chin thoughtfully. "Who would like to go first," he asked softly.
Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Malfoy beat her to it. "Look, sir, I'm as Hermione calls it 'turning myself in.' So just get the Azkaban guards by owl, and let me get out of here."
Dumbledore's facial expression didn't change in the slightest. "Forgive me, but you are going to have to elaborate."
Hermione cut across Malfoy, and explained everything eagerly. She put aside what Malfoy had called her, and told the basics. Dumbledore raised his eyebrows as she told about what Voldemort wanted to have done.
"That is quite interesting, Miss Granger. Voldemort knows that you are the brains in what people call the golden trio. Very interesting indeed... Without you, they'd be lost, now wouldn't they?" He smiled kindly on her, and Hermione blushed with embarrassment.
Malfoy looked over at her disgusted. "Sir, here are the names..." He rattled of at least twenty names, and took a breath asking, "are you going to owl the guards, now?"
"No,
Mr. Malfoy, I am not."
"What?"
Dumbledore's eye twinkled again. "Granted, that you have been given the task of killing your fellow classmate, and you would not be here if it wasn't for something admirable she has done for you, a rightful enemy, but I will not be calling any guards. No, I have something else in mind."
Hermione swallowed. She had the feeling that this wasn't going to be good.
"You two will not like what I have to say, so be prepared. I'm going to put you into hiding. A secret location. I'll even be secret keeper myself."
Malfoy's face lit up, "that doesn't sound too bad."
"You will both be living together."
"What?!" Malfoy yelled, and jumped out of his seat. "I will not be living with a -"
Dumbledore held up a long slender finger for silence, and Malfoy quieted immediately, though the fire hadn't left his eyes. He waited impatiently.
"There will be no need for name calling, Mr. Malfoy. Believe me when I say I would not normally have put you two together, but this is a dire situation. You two are ultimately on Voldemort's list for death. It will be a waste of space to hide you two in separate houses, and this is a good opportunity... Two rival houses will have to learn to get along, and live with one another for peace to be achieved. Yes, if I do say so myself, I am brilliant."
Hermione felt herself pale at the thought. Living with Malfoy! Of all people... This had to be a dream. She was lacking sleep, she was tired, she would wake up in her bed, and laugh about it later with Harry, and Ron. Harry, and Ron... Her classes... Everything...
"Sir, what about -"
"No need to fret, Miss Granger. Mr. Potter, and Mr. Weasley will be notified of the situation. If you three wish to speak I'll be happy to be used as a medium.
As for your classes homework will be sent to you. We can't have your say perfect grades slipping, now."
Malfoy huffed quietly, as to which Dumbledore seemed to have gone deaf to. Dumbledore went over behind his desk, and took out a parchment, and an quill. He dipped it in a bottle of ink, and began writing. "You will stay here for an extra two hours until I set up a place for you to stay. If you may remain patient we will get this process started. Please, make yourselves comfortable, sleep if you like. I don't expect either of you have stayed in your dormitories long," a corner of his mouth upturned into a knowing smirk.
Hermione swallowed an inward groan threatening to climb her throat, and escape. She kicked off her shoes, and curled up in the chair. She didn't have to look over her shoulder to know that Malfoy was staring at her with distaste. She decided that this was the worst day of her life, even worse than when she found out that she was marked for death. Living with Malfoy felt like an underserved punishment. Uneasily she slipped into unconsciousness.