Chapter Ten

Back for more? Lots of responses to the last chapter! I've been pretty mean with my cliff hangers. Time for the fallout from the last one. As always, JKR is the fabulous creator.

Hermione woke to a blurry indistinct shape looming above her. She blinked a few times until the face of Minerva McGonagall materialised into view. The stern older woman was watching her nervously, peering down through her glasses with a sympathetic expression.

"Hermione? Are you alright?"

"What…Where…?"

She shot upright as she got her bearings again. Her tongue felt swollen and too hot inside her mouth and it took a while for her brain to start working enough to register where she was. She had been moved back to her own bed at some point, still in her pyjamas. A frown marred her face as she remembered what had happened.

"Harry and Ron…"

Minerva placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. She offered her a glass of water, which Hermione gratefully seized and gulped down. It helped sooth the dizziness away.

"It appears as though Potter and Weasley are gone. We found this on the bedside table near where you had collapsed…"

The older woman didn't look overly thrilled to be giving her the piece of paper she was holding up. She was watching Hermione warily as though the girl might vomit or something. She certainly felt rather flushed. But Hermione grabbed at the paper and ripped it open, seeing that it was a letter written it Harry's messy, blockish handwriting. She took a shaky breath and exchanged a fearful glance with her former professor, before focusing on the words in front of her.

Dear Hermione,

I'm sorry I don't really know what to say here. I'm a bit lost for words. Ron is looking at me impatiently but I didn't want to leave without letting you know what's happening. It was a pretty big shock realising how close you and Malfoy had become. I was worried about him taking advantage of you, but you seem pretty, well, determined.

I thought maybe it was like SPEW or something. You were supporting the downtrodden, poor little Death Eater. But I don't know. When I heard him defending you, he seemed pretty genuine. So basically I'm really confused.

I think that maybe we are going down separate paths at the moment. I think your place is here and mine is out looking for more 'you know what'. And that's okay. I think it will take Ron a long time to recover from this. He really does like you. I don't think you realise how much he's hurting. So we're just going to go off on our own for a bit, to give him some space and finish our job. I don't know how we'll manage without you, maybe it's crazy and suicidal to even try! But I will contact you using our DA galleon if we need you, and you can do the same. Ron's mad but he'll still have your back. And I'll always come if you call.

Take care of yourself and be on your guard. I still don't trust him and I don't think he's good enough for you. You're going to be furious when you realise we're gone. But please forgive me. You're like a sister to me and no matter what I love you.

I'm sorry.

Be careful.

Harry.

Hermione delicately folded the note in half and then slipped it under her pillow, angrily wiping away her tears. She sniffed inelegantly and gingerly took the handkerchief that Minerva offered her. As she blew into it and got control over her crying, the older woman summoned some clothes from the musty old wardrobe in the corner and carefully laid them out on the bed.

"Those stupid, selfish wankers," Hermione croaked half-heartedly, not even able to summon the energy to yell or scream or throw things around the room like she probably should. It was like all the rage had just drained out of her.

"Sensitivity has never been Mister Potter's strength."

Hermione stared glumly at a tangle of cobwebs strung up in one corner of the room.

"I can't believe they actually left," she murmured, earning another supportive pat on the shoulder. Harry was right to worry about whether the two of them by themselves could even survive without her. She knew they could both be very impetuous and hot headed when they didn't take the time to slow down and consider the consequences of their actions. As demonstrated by their sudden decision to leave in the middle of the night. She could only hope that they wouldn't do anything too foolish. But she highly doubted it.

"There'll be time for mourning later, Hermione. Now you need to grit your teeth, get changed and come downstairs."

Her eyes flickered up to her mentor's in surprise at the words.

"What's happening?" she asked with an edge of anxiety. Minerva let out a soft tut and gestured insistently at the clothes. Hermione scooped them up and threw the jumper on over the top of her t-shirt.

"Let's just say there are certain people in the Order who want to ask you some questions."

Hermione groaned.

"Because of Harry and Ron?"

Minerva nodded.

"I'm sorry…"

Hermione waved off her apology, knowing that the former Head of Gryffindor had probably done everything she could already. She rolled her eyes at the thought that she was probably going to be subjected to some kind of useless interrogation. The Order had never been comfortable with the fact that the three of them had disappeared to go do a secret task for Dumbledore. Molly had been adamantly opposed to it; Remus and Harry had almost come to blows over him being left out. And the others were reluctant to trust three such young danger-magnets wandering off through the countryside on some private mission with every Death Eater in the country searching for them.

"Alright, fine. Let them know I'm coming down," she sighed. Minerva gave her one last grimace of sympathy before exiting the room. Hermione closed her eyes for a moment. She silently cursed herself for being so naïve as to think her happiness this last week could ever last without interference. Then she cursed the Order for being a bunch of insufferable busy-bodies. And finally she cursed Harry and Ron for abandoning her and leaving her to clean up their mess.

So by the time she had finished getting changed, Hermione was officially fuming. She strode downstairs ready to confront anyone who dared question her at a time like this and for such a stupid reason. As she entered the kitchen, her eyes were narrowed in a glare for the few occupants sitting around the table. They observed her silently, with stares of suspicion and trepidation. In addition to Minerva, there were one or two friendly smiles that cut through the tension and helped to relax her shoulders somewhat. Andromeda and Ted Tonks were leaning against a nearby counter chatting quietly. The dark haired woman gave her an encouraging smile as she slid into a spare seat that seemed to have been placed deliberately to intimidate her. Surrounding her at the table were Remus, Molly, Arthur, Kingsley, Bill Weasley and a few others who she only recognised vaguely, such as Hestia Jones and Dedalus Diggle.

Hermione cleared her throat, arching one eyebrow expectantly at the gathered group and folding her arms in front of her chest. She felt a little petty, but wasn't prepared to cave to their little attempt at bullying information out of her. There was a long, awkward silence before finally Remus cleared his throat and locked his fingers together in what she assumed was supposed to be a serious, firm expression.

"Where are Harry and Ron?" he asked straight away, obviously not bothering to make any small talk or build up to the big question of the day. Hermione barely suppressed another eye-roll as she returned his stare with her own cold one.

"I don't know."

Remus gave her a slightly patronising look.

"Come now, Hermione. You don't seriously expect us to believe that they would leave and not tell you where they were going?"

"Well that's what happened. Believe it or not."

Remus blinked at her, leaning forwards slightly and fixing her with a steady scowl.

"You must have some idea where they are?"

"Nope."

"Please tell us, Hermione," Molly begged from beside the werewolf, her eyes round and pleading, "You three slipped through our fingers once and we had hoped…" she sighed, knotting her fingers together, "We hoped that you would trust us this time. Tell us where they are. We can help you."

"I'm sorry, Molly, but I honestly don't know."

"There must be some place that's familiar they would return to."

"They could be anywhere in England right now," she admitted in a cautious voice, looking around a bit warily at the anxious faces there, "We never followed a particular pattern or had any destination set in our minds when we moved."

Molly looked genuinely desperate with worry, her lip quivering a bit.

"But you're all just children-"

Hermione felt her skin prickle a bit at the comment.

"No, Mrs Weasley, we're not. Dumbledore gave Harry a task. He trusted us. So I'm sorry but to be brutally honest even if I did know where the boys were, I still wouldn't tell you."

There were a few angry murmurs and sneering at this last response. Hermione felt an ache deep inside her belly at the reminder of what she had lost. It seemed unnecessarily cruel to make her face up to the reality of it all so soon. Remus appeared inordinately interested in her answers. He observed her with quiet suspicion for a long moment before he spoke again. This time his voice was low and accusing,

"So is it true then? They left you here because of the Malfoy boy?"

Hermione felt a twist in her gut. She stared at the group surrounding her in surprise.

"What?" she asked belligerently, feeling suddenly concerned about the direction this was taking.

Remus nodded towards Bill Weasley who cleared his throat and spoke a bit uncomfortably.

"The boys stopped in at Shell cottage early this morning. I think they were getting supplies. I heard them speaking in the kitchen, but didn't realise what was happening at the time. Ron was just going on about how he couldn't believe that you had chosen Malfoy over him…" There were wary glances exchanged between a few people. Hermione's eyes flickered up to the side of the room where Andromeda stood, feeling a bit cautious now. But Draco's aunt just nodded reassuringly at her. She didn't look surprised at all. It gave Hermione some small measure of comfort, knowing that at least one person wasn't here on behalf of Team Ron. Bill continued in a soft tone, "I was going to confront them and ask them what was happening, but they left quite suddenly. Then when I came here and we saw their room upstairs with you on the floor and Harry's note… "

Hermione bristled in anger, sitting up straighter in her seat.

"You read the note?"

"Of course we did," Remus told her unsympathetically, "It was important."

"It was addressed to me."

Remus shook his head at her, his gaze critical.

"This is war, Hermione. And undesirable number one Harry Potter has once again thrown himself into unspeakable danger…"

"It was private," she argued back just as stubbornly. She cursed Harry all over again for not thinking to put a charm on the letter to keep it from prying eyes. "And it didn't even say where they were going…"

Remus drummed his fingers impatiently on the table.

"Maybe not. But it did tell us other things. Like the fact that you have begun a relationship with Mister Malfoy."

"That's not even-" Hermione trailed off and sighed in frustration, wondering why she even bothered arguing the point. They would all believe it even if she denied it. And they weren't entirely wrong. She would be totally naïve if she didn't at least admit to herself that she and Draco had formed some kind of attachment. She had probably been falling for him for over a year now. It didn't help that she had probably blushed crimson the moment his name was brought up. Molly looked a bit white as she gave her a disapproving frown. The Weasley matriarch had always been quick to judge her for any hint that she would get romantically involved with someone other than Harry or Ron. It had been the same way even back in fourth year with Krum.

"Tell me it's not true, Hermione."

Hermione returned her gaze calmly.

"Does it matter? Harry and Ron were always going to leave eventually, with or without me. I fail to see how it bears any significance whether or not Draco was involved in the decision."

Kingsley Shacklebolt chimed in then, his deep voice resonating around the room clearly.

"Until very recently, Malfoy was a Death Eater, Hermione. Whether you like it or not, it is very serious issue. You were assigned as his handler and any entanglement could ultimately compromise the information he gives us."

Hermione looked sharply around at all the determined faces before her. Kingsley's voice had sounded too calm, too reasonable for this to be a true debate. That was when it hit her. This whole interrogation was a formality and nothing else. They had already decided how to proceed long before she arrived in the kitchen, she realised. This whole meeting was merely to ascertain whether she knew the whereabouts of the boys. An uneasy feeling crept up her spine, which only intensified when she saw the way Andromeda and Minerva exchanged a mournful glance with each other.

"Enough," she said in a quiet, tense voice, "I'm not going to sit here and be denigrated about something that's none of your damned business," her angry declaration was met with glowers and complaining grumbles of those gathered before her. But she took a deep breath and continued on, "Tell me what you have decided. I don't know where the boys are and I'm tired of repeating myself. So let's get this farce over and done with."

"Hermione-" Molly seemed like she wanted to say something more, but she eventually just shook her head and fell silent, her eyes full of wordless recrimination. Hermione just held her chin up high and waited patiently. Remus exchanged looks with those around him.

"We're moving Malfoy to another location. Somewhere he'll be relatively harmless and can't cause any more problems. He can concentrate on just compiling information about the Death Eaters with a new handler."

Hermione felt an icy shiver run down her spine as her body stiffened in outrage. She had been half-expecting it, but still felt unsettled by the announcement. She imagined them going upstairs and telling Draco about this new decision. Her chest clenched tightly in agony. He would completely panic. He was likely to go mental when he heard the news. And she wasn't dealing with it much better herself, despite her composed exterior. She thought of all the nights they had spent wrapped in each other's arms. Days spent learning everything about the other person. A year of thinking of that kiss in the hospital wing and yearning for something more even if she hadn't been willing to accept it yet. To be torn apart when their bond was just beginning to grow, when it felt like they were at the precipice of something real, was a cruelty she couldn't even fathom. But outwardly she just blinked calmly a couple of times, not willing to let them see that they'd gotten to her.

"Is that necessary?" she asked coldly, her pulse racing even though she didn't show it. Kingsley nodded and spread his hands out in front of him.

"You must surely see how vital it is to keep Malfoy contained and submissive. We can't have him thinking that he can take advantage of the situation."

Hermione stared into the faces of those who were determined to treat Draco as nothing more than a pawn. The people who might possibly hold the fate of the wizarding world in their hands. She could certainly see where their dogmatic attitude had come from and even empathise with it. But unfortunately in this case they were grossly mistaken. They didn't see Draco the way she did, and the departure of Harry and Ron had put everyone on edge. Their precious Chosen One was missing again, and as far as they were concerned the Slytherin boy was to blame. Hermione took a few deep breaths. Andromeda wouldn't meet her eye now, her head drooping sorrowfully as she stared at the floor. She had the weary look of someone who had already fought and lost. Hermione could only imagine what had transpired before she arrived. Distantly she realised that Minerva was now objecting quite strenuously to this new announcement, but she only half listened. There was really no point. She could argue until she was blue in the face but it wouldn't make a difference.

Suddenly all she wanted was to talk to Draco, to warn him about what was coming and to reassure him that everything would be okay. She needed to go to him before they denied her the right to even be anywhere near him. What if they snuck him out of the house before she had a chance to say goodbye? Hermione's mind worked furiously, thinking of what lay ahead and knowing only one thing for certain. She had to see him. Lifting her eyes again, she feigned an accepting grimace, appearing demure and remorseful. She even shrugged her shoulders slightly as if she had conceded defeat. It was a very convincing performance.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this..." she watched surreptitiously as the others nodded encouragingly. She noticed Minerva looking a bit flummoxed at her sudden change in demeanour but everyone else seemed to buy it, "If you don't mind, I need to go lie down now. It's been a long night. I'll let you know if I hear from Harry or Ron."

Molly grimaced sympathetically; she was still looking a bit miffed that her ickle Ronniekins had disappeared again. But they all murmured their agreement that she could take her leave. Remus had an expression of tired relief on his face that she had surrendered so easily. Hermione forced herself to smile gratefully at him and then got wearily to her feet. As she made her way to the door she shared a significant look with Andromeda. By her side, Ted Tonks also nodded once at her, giving her a little wink, and she knew they understood where she was going.

Heart pounding now, Hermione slipped from the room. Her skin was clammy and her tongue felt like hot ash in her mouth. Taking a deep breath, she headed straight for the staircase that wound up through the house, cutting a determined path towards Draco's room.

The only problem was that she had absolutely no bloody clue what she was supposed to say to him when she got there.

….

….

….

Draco knew that something was terribly wrong. He knew it with a certainty that was eating away at him. He kept pacing his small room, eyes flicking over to the door expectantly and wishing for it to open. When he had woken earlier the bed beside him had been cold to touch; Hermione must have left earlier than usual. Personally he had been hoping that she wouldn't leave at all, not after how things had started developing between them. At first he was ashamed to admit that he had been a bit sulky. But as time passed he began to grow anxious. It wasn't like her to stay away so long.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, he felt the vibrations of her wards shift around the door, and Hermione entered at a hurried pace. Her movements were a little frantic and she had a panicked glint in her eye. His heart skipped with trepidation as he watched her take a few deep breaths and turn towards him. Draco waited for her to speak, his hands clenching into fists and then unclenching rhythmically. He wasn't known for his patience. And her fearful expression was setting him on edge.

"I…they…"

She stammered a few times before falling silent, giving him a beseeching look as if she wasn't sure what she was supposed to say. Draco was truly worried now. She looked a bit wild. Her hair was tousled madly around her shoulders and her bottom lip was swollen and red as if she had been chewing on it. He swallowed and took a step towards her.

"What's wrong? What is it?"

Hermione shook her head and folded her arms across her chest self-consciously. He approached carefully, moving slowly so he wouldn't scare her, and rested his hand on her arm.

"Hermione?"

Eventually her body shivered and she let out a rasping breath of air.

"Harry and Ron left. They ran away during the night."

Draco blinked and stared at her in disbelief.

"Wha…seriously? They left? Why?"

"We had a task to complete… something Dumbledore wanted us to do. I'm sorry I can't tell you what it is. So they left to continue our mission."

"Okay," he responded slowly, his brain spinning with this new information. Hermione was staring at a spot on the floor, looking desolate, "But they left without you? Are they mad? They won't survive a week."

Hermione lifted her eyes to glare at him, but then her shoulders sort of just sagged and she sniffled slightly.

"They didn't want me with them anymore," she murmured fatalistically, and Draco wanted to grind his teeth in frustration at the actions of her two supposed friends. A niggling doubt took hold in his stomach, making him feel slightly nauseous.

"They left you here because of me, didn't they?" he asked her quietly, his hand twitching and gripping down hard on her arm. Hermione couldn't meet his eye but eventually she nodded.

"Yes."

Draco winced at the knowledge that he was partly responsible for her pain. While obviously he blamed the dunderhead duo for being such selfish wankers, he couldn't deny his role in the whole fiasco. And yet despite the heartache that had occurred, he still couldn't bring himself to regret anything that had happened. He had finally gotten to see the real Hermione after chasing a dream for months. He would never want to take that back. Rubbing his thumb over the skin of her forearm, he cleared his throat and shuffled closer so that he could speak more intimately to her.

"Are you okay?"

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip but nodded.

"Yes. Or at least, I'm trying to be," she paused nervously, and Draco waited and watched her drawn, tense features as she considered her next words, "But after I found them missing…" Hermione groaned and dropped her head into her hands, "The Order had to go and shove their big noses into it, and things kind of went from bad to worse."

Draco's heart skipped with apprehension.

"What happened?"

Hermione pulled away from him, moving to pace across the other side of the room near the bed. She had tangled her fingers in her hair and refused to meet his eye. She looked desperate, and it made Draco's gut roll over uneasily.

"Hermione?" he prompted, and she groaned frantically, clearly not wanting to reveal the terrible truth.

"They…they know why Harry and Ron left. And I guess they're worried about… us," she finally admitted in a reluctant whisper. Draco swallowed and followed her movements warily with his gaze. He could easily guess what had the Order going crazy.

"About me corrupting you, you mean."

Hermione snorted pitifully.

"Something like that."

When she didn't continue, Draco frowned and considered what she was hinting at. If there was one thing that bothered those bastards who tried interrogating him early on, it was the fact that he refused to speak to anyone but Hermione. It made them uncomfortable. And if their precious Chosen One had been threatened by his presence here…

His mind froze as he realised the implications. He stared at Hermione in disbelief as she continued to pace furiously back and forth. His mouth was dry and a clammy sweat had begun to form on his palms, clenched now into fists.

"No…" When she still didn't look at him, Draco took two brisk steps over the room towards her. He grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to face him, "Hermione, please tell me they're not going to make you stay away from me-"

Her face was stark white as she blinked and stared blindly at a spot on his chest.

"They want to move you to a different safe house," she muttered so quietly he almost missed it. Draco didn't want to believe what she was telling him, and he didn't like that she still wouldn't look him in the eye. He grasped her shoulders more tightly and leaned closer, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"But you're coming with me, right? Or you can still visit me…"

Her expression was despairing as she shook her head in the negative. He felt his fingers clench convulsively around her upper arms and he let out a shaky breath. Hermione closed her eyes as if in pain.

"No Draco. They want to separate us."

He shook his head numbly, his mind unable to cope with the thought of losing her now, when he was just starting to appreciate how deeply he'd fallen for her. When he felt like he almost had a chance with her.

"I…I won't let them," he croaked, his voice stumbling a bit over the words, "I'll refuse to go."

Hermione's eyelashes fluttered as she blinked back the tears that were suddenly glistening in her eyes.

"You know that's not possible. It's not like they're going to ask your permission."

"I'll cause a bloody riot if I have to!" he yelled, making her flinch a bit at his rapidly escalating anger, "I'll refuse to help them or give any more information until they change their mind!"

"Could you really do that?" she asked quietly, her tone resigned, "Could you really jeopardize this whole war just to get your way?"

"You're damn right I could!"

Hermione almost stomped her foot at him, her hair crackling manically.

"No, Draco! What if you could save more lives? Like you saved Ted Tonks. Despite what they might think, I know the real you. You could never refuse them that kind of help for such selfish reasons."

Draco's face flushed with a mixture of rage and shame, looking down into her soulful brown eyes and feeling a twinge of real fear now.

"I've told them everything I know anyway," he muttered crossly.

"I don't like this any more than you do, Draco!" she replied in an eerily composed voice. He gave her shoulders a little shake, wanting to ruffle her feathers even just slightly.

"How can you be so calm about this? Don't you care?"

"Of course I care. But there's nothing we can do. I just came here to warn you and to say goodbye…"

Draco released her abruptly and strode across to the mantle on the wall. He leaned against it, his body trembling with fear as he contemplated what was about to happen. She would really be gone and forbidden from seeing him. No more chats through the day about every seemingly insignificant topic. No more heartfelt confessions in the glow of the evening sun. No more night time embraces, curled up in their cosy little pocket of peace, trapped away from the rest of the cold world outside. It felt like that night at Hogwarts all over again, when he'd let the Death Eaters in through the Vanishing Cabinet. When he'd brushed his fingers across her cheek and said goodbye to her frozen features, not even able to look into her deep brown eyes one last time because he'd been forced to stupefy her. Back then he had felt conflicted, a sharp stab of misery piercing his chest as he walked away from her. But now, months later, it was like he was being ripped into tiny fragments. Gone was the silly infatuation, replaced by a love so desperate and real he could taste it. He could feel it like he could feel the ghost of her kiss upon his lips, haunting him day and night. And he had a terrible feeling that if they were parted once more he would never recover those missing pieces that were being torn from him so callously.

Screwing his fingers up into fists so tight his knuckles whitened, Draco spun around and marched back across to her.

"No, Hermione. You don't get to say goodbye to me. Not here, not now. There has to be another way."

"There isn't!"

"I refuse to accept that." His tone was harsh as he practically growled his denial at her. He grasped her face in both his hands. Hermione's cheeks were wet with the tracks of her tears as she shook her head unseeingly.

"Please Hermione…"

He watched her cautiously as she clumsily reached up and fumbled with the locket; that glinting piece of sapphire strung up like a thousand memories around her neck. She fiddled with the clasp on one side, trying to release it. Draco felt his whole body lurch with sick understanding before she even spoke again.

"You can…take…my locket again," she said between little gasping breaths as she tried to stem her tears. Her fingers were still fumbling with the locket's opening as she attempted to remove it to give to him. Draco's hands jolted into action and he grabbed her fingers tightly, stopping her in her tracks.

"NO! Damnit Hermione, I don't want your bloody locket…" he paused and met her eye then, getting instantly lost in the endless brown depths flecked with gold and blurred with tears. His heart pounded so rapidly he could feel it like a drum beat against his ribs, "I want you."

His confession seemed to ripple through her like a cascade of hot water. He saw her shiver and her eyes went a bit fuzzy and unfocused. And as his gaze flickered downwards he realised he could no sooner stop his next move than he could stop breathing. He had to taste her or he was worried he would drift away into the dark nothingness of insanity.

Madly, driven by some odd power that seized his whole body, Draco's hands tightened on her face, his fingertips slipping into her hair as he leaned down and kissed her urgently. It was like every fibre of his being had been waiting since that fateful night in the hospital wing, for this one single moment. His lips crashed against hers with a passion that sucked the air from his lungs. He kissed her like a man dying from neglect, desperately seeking her touch. Draco's lips and tongue caressed hers with a series of heady, spine tingling kisses, as he tasted every inch of her mouth. He didn't even realise he had backed her against the wall until he felt the sharp gasp leave her mouth, and he swallowed it as he pressed her further into the solid surface behind her. But it wasn't just a battle to consume her from the inside out. After a frightened pause, she was kissing him back and their tongues stroked against one another in a way that made his eyes roll back far into his head.

When breathing became an issue, Draco tilted his head back just barely and let them pant a few times before he spoke in a dangerously husky voice.

"Find another way, Hermione. I won't let you go. I can't."

"What about the Order…"

"Fuck the Order!"

Hermione let out a slight whimper of protest, their foreheads falling to rest against one another. He felt her fingernails digging into his back just beneath his shoulder blades. The slight sting made heat flare across his spine and right down to his toes. But before he could argue his point further, she was leaning her head back and blinking up at him with those beautiful eyes he had fallen in love with a hundred times in a hundred different ways. And when she finally replied, her words gave him the faintest, most pathetic sliver of hope imaginable. But it was hope nonetheless.

"I don't want to let you go either."

And right now, hope was all he had left.

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Oh dear. What will they do? Please review and let me know what you think of this new development. Merci!