Disclaimer: I am not JK Rowling nor do I own Harry Potter. See previous chapters.
Last time:
Hermione held out Slytherin's locket before promptly collapsing unconsciously on the floor.
Chapter 16
"I can't believe you left her there! I knew this was a bad idea. What the hell were we thinking letting her go!" Harry ranted as he paced back and forth across the room. He turned to face the others. "Well, what are we waiting for? We have to go there and save her!"
"Harry," Mr. Weasley said slowly, trying to calm him down. "We would all gladly give our lives for Hermione but recklessly attacking Malfoy Manor is not the way to go. We would be severely outnumbered and we would all surely die for no reason."
"Isn't Hermione a good enough reason?" Harry asked angrily.
"Of course she is," Mr. Weasley answered. "But we can't face Voldemort and his armies without a plan."
"Watch me." Harry declared, turning to walk out of the room.
Suddenly, the fireplace glowed green and McGonagall's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"She's here at Hogwarts!" McGonagall announced.
Whatever else she was going to say was interrupted by Harry who immediately threw floo powder in the fireplace and yelled "Hogwarts!" before disappearing into the fire.
"Where is she?" Harry asked as soon as he stepped out of the fire and into the Headmaster's office.
"Madame Pomfrey's looking after her in the hospital wing," answered McGonagall.
Harry did not wait for the others to arrive before he broke out into a run towards the hospital wing.
oOoOoOoOo
Draco Malfoy was in deep trouble. As he laid in bed after Hermione left, the seriousness of what he had done finally hit him. He had just helped a prisoner escape.
If the Dark Lord found out…Draco shuddered to think of the consequences. But he had to do it. If he did nothing Potter would surely rush headlong into the Manor and it would be all too easy to kill the Boy-who-wouldn't-die. Where would they be then? So he had to do it to protect his mother and Sophie. Unless he wanted Voldemort to rule, he didn't really have a choice.
At least, that's what he told himself. He refused to acknowledge that the sight of a broken and empty Hermione Granger in the dungeon scared him more than anything he ever experienced in his life. Or that her agonizing scream shook him to the core. It was so full of anguish; it was more like a desperate wail. He didn't know what Voldemort showed her but he knew he would do anything to never hear her scream like that again.
oOoOoOoOo
Hermione opened her eyes to find a black mop on the side of her bed.
"Harry?" she croaked weakly.
"Oh Hermione!" Harry sat up and quickly enveloped her in a hug.
"Um, can't-breathe," Hermione said. Harry quickly loosened his hold and sat back down by her bedside.
"Merlin, Hermione, I thought I lost you," Harry said looking at her intensely. "I am so sorry. I shouldn't have – It's not worth – "
"It's alright Harry," Hermione soothed. "I'm right here. I'm alright. How long have I been asleep?"
"3 days," Harry said somberly.
"And the locket?"
"Dumbledore destroyed it."
Harry put his head back down on the bed. "When you went missing –," he mumbled. "I don't know what I would've done without you. You're my family, you know that right?" Harry looked up and tears were running down his cheeks. Hermione lifted her hand to gently wipe them away.
"I know Harry," Hermione said holding on to his face. "Listen to me. What happened wasn't your fault. It was my choice to go to the Manor and things just went wrong. There are just some things we can't control."
"I know, but I shouldn't have dragged you into this mess. This is my fight – "
"No Harry," Hermione interrupted him. "This is my fight too. I'm in this with you and I'm not leaving you even if you want to kick me out. If Voldemort comes after you, he has to deal with me too. We're a package deal. We both know I'm smart enough to make my own decisions so no more of this blame game alright?"
Harry nodded. "I know I haven't been the best friend I could be lately. It feels like I've barely seen you at all this year. But I hope you know you're very important to me. I don't know what I would do without you or Ron. Speaking of Ron, I know this is probably not the best time, but I had a lot of time to think the past 3 days and I wondered what had happened between you two. You were perfect for each other and finally you were together, then suddenly you break up. You don't even talk to him anymore."
"First of all, we've all just been really busy this year, what with OWLS, my Prefect duties, your Quidditch practices, and now Voldemort's Horcruxes – we just have a lot on our plates. Although we've only hung out a few times this year I really hope you know that you're important to me too.
As for Ron, we were hardly perfect for each other. Even as friends we were constantly at each other's throats." Hermione laughed, trying to hide the hurt she felt at Ron's betrayal. "Even you have to admit that we only got together because it was what was expected." She sighed. "Not getting Head Girl was a shock and it forced me to reevaluate a lot of things. My relationship with Ron was one of them. I realized that it would never have worked out between us. We just don't fit. So I broke things off. He felt the same way and so we were both alright with it." Hermione tried not to look at Harry in the eye, afraid that he'd see right through her if she did. "Not speaking to him isn't intentional. Like I said, we've all just been really busy. Now," Hermione continued trying to change the subject. She looked at Harry's disheveled clothes and the bags under his eyes. "Please tell me you haven't been sitting here for 3 days waiting for me to wake up."
Harry looked down sheepishly.
"Well, as you can see I'm quite alright so go take a shower and get something to eat. I'm sure Ginny misses you as well."
"Actually Ginny's been here as much as she could. She just left to grab me some food."
As if on cue, Ginny walked into the room. When she saw that Hermione was awake she almost dropped her tray but caught it just in time. She ran up to the bed, handed the tray to Harry and gave Hermione a hug.
"Hermione! How are you feeling? Does anything hurt? Oh you were out for days! We were so worried!" Ginny said, reminding Hermione of a flustered Mrs. Weasley.
"Ginny slow down," Hermione said. "I'm alright. I was just telling Harry here he should go have a shower."
"Yes you should," Ginny said turning to Harry. She went back to Hermione. "He stayed here for 3 days straight. He was so worried about you. He definitely needs a bath."
"Hello? Still here," Harry huffed but he was smiling.
"I would've been here too but Dumbledore forced me to go back to Gryffindor tower and attend my classes as usual," Ginny continued. "He made Harry go back to class too but he was so distracted during Charms he almost set Seamus on fire. Luckily it was just his robes and Flitwick was able to put it out quite quickly. But after that, Dumbledore knew it would do more harm than good to keep him away from you."
"I seriously hope you're not jealous Ginny," Harry said jokingly giving her a kiss on the lips.
"Of course not," Ginny replied. "But eww, please brush your teeth before you do that again. And you really need a shower." She laughed earning a swat from Harry. "But all joking aside, I totally understand. I'd be here too if one of my brothers was in a coma. Well, maybe not Percy."
"Speaking of the Weasley boys, where's Ron? He'd probably like to know Hermione's awake," Harry asked.
"He's in the library with Genevieve researching some more. After you got the locket they're more determined than ever to find the other horcruxes quickly before Voldemort finds out," Ginny answered.
"Ah, I see Ms. Granger is awake." Dumbledore walked in the room then with Madame Pomfrey beside him. Madame Pomfrey then proceeded to check her vitals. "Is it alright to ask her a few questions?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes, but only for a few minutes. I don't want to tire her out," Madame Pomfrey stated.
"First of all Ms. Granger," Dumbledore began after Madame Pomfrey left. "Thank you for your brave efforts. Again, the Order and the wizarding world owe you a lot. As for me, I am extremely grateful and proud of you."
Harry huffed.
"Harry is still upset with me for letting you go on the mission in the first place Hermione," Dumbledore explained. "It was a mistake on my part that I deeply regret. No matter how capable you are, I should never have put you in such a dangerous situation."
"But sir, it was completely my choice to go and we planned everything as well as we could. Some things are just out of our hands."
"As true as that is, I still should not have put you in that position. I am only human and I greatly underestimated the danger of the set-up. We are all just thankful that you were able to come out of it. Speaking of which, would it be alright for you to tell us what happened?"
Hermione proceeded to tell them what happened in the Manor that night. As terrified as she was about the experience she tried not to show it and softened the story for Harry's sake. Because Madame Pomfrey had already detected it and treated her for it, she couldn't hide the fact that Voldemort used the Cruciatus on her numerous times. She did, however, hide the fact that he had used Legilimency on her and had showed her Cedric's death. She explained that she simply passed out under the strain of the Cruciatus and woke up in the dungeon.
"How did you escape?" Harry asked.
Hermione paused. She wasn't sure if Malfoy would want her to tell anyone what he did. "Dobby helped me," she replied.
"Dobby?" Harry asked his friend looking at her intently.
"Yes," Dumbledore answered for her. "Since Dobby knew the Manor inside and out, I thought he'd be the perfect candidate to help Ms. Granger out. As a former house-elf of the Manor, he could get in and out of it without a fuss. He obviously is not able to carry Ms. Granger out himself so he helped her floo back to Hogwarts."
Hermione was both surprised and thankful for Dumbledore's story.
Hermione confirmed the Headmaster's explanation and proceeded to tell them the rest of the story. "And the last thing I remember is McGonagall's face before waking up here."
"I guess I owe Dobby a big one," Harry said. Hermione hoped Dumbledore thought far enough to let Dobby know to corroborate the story.
Dumbledore turned to Harry and Ginny. "Now, I believe you have class in two minutes Ms. Weasley. And since Ms. Granger is obviously doing fine," Dumbledore looked at Harry, his eyes twinkling. "I believe Mr. Potter could do with a bath."
"I don't smell that bad. But I'll go have one anyway. Are you sure you're alright Hermione? Do you want me to get you anything?"
"I'm fine Harry, thank you. Now go relax and have a shower. Madame Pomfrey says I should be able to leave soon so I'll see you when she lets me go alright?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Harry," Hermione laughed. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. I love you but you need to leave me alone so I can get better. I'll see you guys when I get out okay?"
"Alright." Harry and Ginny both gave her a hug before they left leaving Hermione with the Headmaster.
"Now," Dumbledore began as soon as they were alone. "Are you prepared to tell me what really happened that night?"
"I'm not sure how much of it is mine to tell sir," Hermione answered truthfully.
"Well, I don't want to push you but if it helps, I will tell you my side of the story."
Hermione unconsciously leaned in.
"I'm sure you are wondering how I was able to obtain the exact location of the necklace," Dumbledore began. "Despite the fact that I put you in such a dangerous position, I hope you know that I wouldn't have sent you in there without confirming your theory and knowing for a fact that the necklace was there."
"Of course not," Hermione said. "I did however, wonder, how you knew with such certainty."
"I'm sure by now you know all about our little guest in the castle." It was a statement, not a question. "When Narcissa Malfoy asked for my help in protecting her child she decided to disclose all her concerns and anxieties. Most of all, she wanted to give her children a better future. Being a Black, she was also too proud to ask for any favours without offering something in return. Though I did not ask for anything, she found a way to achieve both her goals. She decided to be a spy for the Order."
Hermione stifled a gasp afraid to stop Dumbledore from talking.
"By doing so," Dumbledore continued. "She would be helping to rid the world of Voldemort, thus giving her children the future they deserve while at the same time, repaying me for the favour. Being the mistress of the family, she has access to information as important and as privileged as family heirlooms and where they are located. When I asked her about your theory, she looked into it and found the exact location of the locket."
Hermione was afraid to ask but she had to know. "What about her son, sir?"
"Ah, Mr. Malfoy is a complicated issue to be sure," Dumbledore replied looking at Hermione intently. "Obviously, his cooperation is vital to his sister's welfare here and so he was, of course, invited to discussions with me and his mother. Both he and his mother have assured me that he is in no way in league with Voldemort. However, this does not mean that he has pledged allegiance to the Order either. Draco's loyalties lie with his mother and sister and theirs alone, which is fine. Loyalty to family is an admirable quality."
Now that she was sure Dumbledore knew of Malfoy's views on Voldemort, Hermione felt that it would be alright to tell him how she escaped.
Telling her story focused Hermione's thoughts back to Malfoy. "Um, is Malfoy here?" she asked. "I'd like to thank him for, you know, what he did," she added quickly to hide her anxiety.
"Mr. Malfoy has been excused by his parents for a few days," Dumbledore replied. "I'll probably have to find a temporary Slytherin Prefect to stand in for him since he will be unable to fulfill his duties." At this, Dumbledore looked pointedly at Hermione. Hermione nodded imperceptibly. Sophie. "Now," Dumbledore said standing up from Hermione's bedside. "I believe we should let you get some rest."
oOoOoOoOo
A few hours later, after checking on her condition, Madame Pomfrey told Hermione she could go. Dinner was just about to start but Hermione didn't feel like facing everyone in the Great Hall just yet. She thought it was the perfect time to visit Sophie so she made her way to the hidden suite.
"Sophie?" Hermione called once she entered the room.
"Hermione!" Sophie ran out of her room and gave Hermione a hug.
Hermione hugged her tighter, glad that she was alright. "Oh, I missed you," she said setting Sophie down on the couch.
"I missed you too. Where have you been?"
"I've been sick for the past couple of days," Hermione answered with the story that she was supposed to tell everyone at school if they asked. "But I'm all better now."
"That's good. I was so bored when you didn't come visit."
"Sorry for the interruption Miss Sophie but dinner is ready," Dobby announced. He turned to Hermione. "Dobby put an extra place for Miss too."
"Oh, and Dobby is honoured to have helped Miss out of a scrape," he added in an undertone winking at Hermione.
"Thank you Dobby," Hermione replied giving him a smile.
Both girls went to the dining area and sat down to a dinner of Caesar salad and spaghetti and meatballs. Hermione didn't realize how hungry she was until she smelled the warm garlic bread.
"So Sophie," Hermione began once they were settled. "How have you been the past few days?"
"Alright," Sophie answered. "I read some of the books you gave me. I tried to read all of them but some of them were too hard. Dobby made sure I ate at the right times and Uncle Sev came over to visit a couple of times."
"Uncle Sev?" Hermione asked in disbelief at the thought of Snape looking after a little girl.
"My godfather. Yeah, he told me Draco was going to be away for a little while so he was checking in on me," Sophie explained. "He even brought me treats from Honeyduke's. He always gives me lots of stuff and Mum and Drake said that if I ever need anything to ask him."
oOoOoOoOo
"Hermione?" Sophie asked as the older girl tucked her into bed.
"Yes?"
"When is Draco coming back?"
"I don't know," Hermione replied trying to hide the worry in her voice. Ever since Dumbledore told her of Malfoy's absence she constantly feared for his safety. What if he was being punished for helping her escape? What if Voldemort found out about the locket and found out Malfoy gave it to her? Would they kill him for it? Did they? What if –
"I miss him," Sophie said softly, interrupting Hermione's anxious thoughts. Hermione focused back on Sophie.
"I know sweetie," she said giving Sophie a hug. "I'm sure he misses you too." Hermione gently smoothed Sophie's hair away from her face.
"Do you think he's okay?" Sophie mumbled as she was slowly lulled into sleep.
I hope so. "Yes," Hermione replied. "He just had to visit your mom so I'm sure he's alright."
Surely Narcissa would've said something if something bad had happened? The thought did not make Hermione feel any better.
oOoOoOoOo
A few days went by and Draco still did not come back.
Hermione tried to get back to her studies and routines but worry for Malfoy constantly stayed in the back of her mind. They weren't exactly friends but they weren't simply enemies anymore either. He did save her life after all – twice. She found herself looking at the Slytherin table at mealtimes just to see if he had returned. She found herself searching for his signature blond hair in the hallway and she would whip her head around every time the door opened in class hoping he was the late student walking in.
At first Hermione chalked up her concern to the fact that he had saved her at the Manor. She was grateful and she feared for his safety because she would be responsible for the repercussions of his actions. She knew that on some level it was stupid. Malfoy didn't have to save her. He had a choice in the matter. If he was punished for helping her it was because Voldemort was a bastard and not Hermione's fault. However, it didn't lessen her anxiety. Eventually she realized that her concern was only partly because of her gratitude. She realized that she was actually concerned for Malfoy as a person. Even though they were never on friendly terms, she missed the civil Malfoy that sometimes appeared. Being an only child, she didn't realize how much she missed the way he interacted with his sister. She missed seeing his face light up when he talked about Sophie or his child-like curiosity when he listened to Muggle fairytales. She missed the intelligent conversations they had, though they were distant and polite, when they had to patrol together. Most of all, she missed his presence. When she lost a friend in Ron, she was glad to have made a new connection. Sophie and Malfoy provided a welcome distraction and something to focus on while she tried to put her life back together. Malfoy was by no means Ron's replacement. They were as different as night and day and Snape would sooner tuck Harry into bed with a goodnight kiss than for Malfoy to become her best friend. But it was exactly that challenge that Hermione missed. Malfoy was like a puzzle to her, a difficult riddle she can't figure out. One minute he would be a pompous git and the next he would be making her and Sophie laugh with his antics. Though she understood the reasons for his actions, their dysfunctional relationship made it difficult to define where he fit in her life. And Hermione hated uncertainties. However, Malfoy wasn't some Arithmancy problem. She knew that she wouldn't find a magic solution (no pun intended) that decoded and changed him into one of those misunderstood-bad-boys-with-a-heart-that-turned-good that she always read about in novels.
Hermione was thinking about all this as she did her homework in the secret room. Harry and Ginny went to Hogsmeade so she decided to visit the little girl. She just put Sophie down for her afternoon nap and Hermione was getting ready to leave. She was approaching the door when it opened and in walked Draco Malfoy.
Instantly their arms wrapped around each other. Hermione was relieved to see him alive and Draco was relieved to see that she was alright. Moments later, both of them realized what they were doing and they jumped apart quickly as if lightning struck them. There was an awkward pause where Hermione turned red and Draco rubbed his neck.
"Good to see you're ok." Draco spoke first.
"Um, yeah…thanks," Hermione replied. She cleared her throat. "Sophie's sleeping so I'm going to head off." She went for the door as Draco walked into the room toward the couches. She paused as she reached for the handle. Gathering her resolve, she took a deep breath and turned around.
"Where were you? Are you alright? What happened?" Once she opened her mouth, Hermione found it hard to slow down.
"I was at home." Draco sat wearily on the couch. Hermione sat across from him. "After the Dark Lord found out that you escaped he wanted heads. He was so furious he killed the two guards watching you on the spot. But it wasn't enough. He wanted more. Father wanted me to stay behind and learn the ropes." Draco shuddered as he remembered everything that happened. "Let's just say I was given a crash course in 'Death Eater 101'."
The shudder was not unnoticed by Hermione. She knew there was more than he was letting on but she didn't want to push him. "But you…I mean, they didn't…hurt you did they?"
She was the one tortured by Voldemort and she was worrying about him? "No," Draco replied. At least not intentionally. "The Dark Lord never found out it was me. To keep up pretenses my floo is never monitored or blocked by anyone but me so that I can go visit my friends whenever I want and floo home from school if I need to."
"How did you know what I was after?"
"When they…" Draco paused. "Returned you to the dungeons, Mother told me about the locket and what you were doing there." He didn't tell her how dangerous it was for him to go to his Mother's room in shock and ask about Hermione's presence in the Manor. Or how they had to covertly meet and talk in the hidden staircases the servants used in the Middle Ages, fearing discovery every second. Luckily, they haven't been used in hundreds of years so no one but them knew the staircases still existed. Still, that didn't mean that one of the most powerful Dark Wizards of all time wouldn't be able to somehow detect them. Draco could still feel the locket digging into his palm as his mother pressed it tightly into his hand.
"If anything happens to the young lady, make sure to give this to Dumbledore." Narcissa whispered urgently right before they parted ways.
Draco walked back to his room with the locket feeling like the weight of the world was in his hands. All he knew was that he wanted it and Voldemort's disgusting piece of soul off his hands. The sight of Granger writhing in pain flashed through his mind and her scream echoed in his ears. He made up his mind of what he should do.
"Thank you." Hermione's voice broke Draco out of his thoughts. He looked up and met her eyes. She quickly looked down. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now," she added earnestly. "That's twice now."
"Let's not try for 3 alright?" He replied trying to lighten the mood. "Besides, I should be thanking you for looking after Sophie." He looked at his sister's sleeping form through the open door. "No matter how long I was gone, I knew she'd be okay." And it was true. Throughout all the things he had to deal with in the Manor and all the worries he had for himself, his mother, Granger, and everything else, he never once worried about Sophie. While he thought about her a lot, he didn't worry. He knew that with Granger and Snape looking after her, she would be alright.
"No matter the circumstances, it would be hard to stay away from Sophie," Hermione said smiling as she watched Sophie sleep.
"The Malfoy charm tends to have that effect on people," Draco said matter-of-factly.
"Ha, ha," Hermione replied dryly. "The Malfoy women, I'm sure. The Malfoy men, on the other hand, that remains to be seen."
"That's because they haven't had a chance to show you," Draco answered easily.
Hermione blushed. An awkward pause followed.
"Erm, I really should get going," Hermione said after a few moments. "I have to meet Harry and Ginny before dinner." She grabbed her bag and almost ran to the door. Once more she paused and turned to Draco.
"Thank you, really," she said sincerely.
Draco nodded in acknowledgement.
"And," Hermione said pausing, almost as if considering whether or not she should say anything more. "I'm really glad you're back and that you're safe," she added before quickly walking out and shutting the door behind her.
A/N: There you have it – the aftermath of the mission. For some reason, this chapter took a really long time to write and it was difficult to get everything together. I have to say that the reviews I got really helped me get over the writer's block. Thank you to all those who reviewed – they helped keep me going. As a treat, this is a much longer chapter than usual so it'd be great to get lots of awesome reviews!
In other news, the Twilight DVD just came out this weekend. What'd you guys think? How many times have you watched it? Memorize all the lines yet? I have the 3-disc edition and I must say it's pretty good in terms of extras and whatnot compared to a lot of other DVDs out there. I only have the 1-disc versions of the Harry Potter ones though so I can't really compare those – I'm sure the HP DVDs are pretty sweet too (or are they?).