Chapter Twenty-Two

"So… in other words…" Ginny trailed off. "You've got to get out of here."

"I've got a better idea," Hermione muttered, pulling her friend under the covers of the queen-sized bed, hoping they couldn't be overheard. "My grandmother's got to have a potion store, right?"

Ginny looked thoughtful for a moment, "Probably."

The girls were up late that night, despite that Dora had advised them both to get some sleep for the Big Day. Ginny had gagged at these words; Hermione had wrinkled her nose.

"Polyjuice potion," Hermione whispered as quietly as possible.

"For who? You?"

"No, for Draco. Do you think we can convince Ron or Harry to be Draco for the ceremony? Then I will have kept my promise to physically marry Draco, but the prophecy won't be in effect. And I won't actually be married to whichever of the boys decides to do it, either, since they weren't themselves."

Ginny stared at her friend, admiration in her warm brown eyes, "I love your ability to stay calm in these kinds of situations, Hermione."

Hermione's brow furrowed, "Don't be satisfied yet. Let's go to the library. I need to see if there are any complications in the prophecy that could prohibit it. There are loopholes for every aspect of things if you know where to look properly…"

"Good idea. I'll check to make sure the coast is clear."

It was, so the girls quietly made their way to the library, taking care to make as little noise as possible.

Once both girls were inside, Hermione closed the huge, maple doors gently, muffling its closure with her hands. Ginny muttered a silencing spell. The two worked fruitlessly for about three-quarters of an hour until Ginny suddenly squealed.

"Check this out!" she murmured excitedly, shoving a book under Hermione's nose.

Hermione took the book from her friend, not sure what to expect.

.

The worlde shall floode and snowe until the childe with the mark of destinie upon its face shall be borne, of parents of prophecie. Of the childe's purpose, it shall bring aboute the rising of the greate one. We knowe little else of such a childe but that the prophecie was made bye marm Carissa Baxter of Cheltenham.

.

Hermione frowned. "How old is this book?"

"I dunno, 1500s or something," Ginny replied. "The way they wrote, I'm just guessing."

Hermione flipped the pages to the front of the crumbling volume. On the inside of the cover, someone had written in fading ink that was so old, it smelled like dirt: 'For Elizabeth. 1698.'

Hermione's heart skipped a beat. "Ginny, did you read that whole passage?"

"No, why?"

Hermione closed her eyes and slumped against the bookshelf, handing the book back to her friend. Ginny's eyes scanned the page; Once she'd processed the name Carissa Baxter on the page, she paused.

"She's just like another Nicholas Flamel," muttered Hermione. Then, addressing her friend, "Ginny, Carissa Baxter has been alive since the 1600s, at least. She's in this book."

"What does it mean?" Ginny queried.

"I'm… not sure. We don't know enough yet. But we're running out of time. We need to take action. Whether there's a loophole in this prophecy or not, we'll just have to take our chances…"

As if to add credibility to her words, the clock on the desk to their left chimed 12 midnight.

"Do we go look for the polyjuice potion?"

"I think not."

The voice was so unexpected, both Hermione and Ginny jumped. Hermione scrambled to her feet. Both girls yanked out their wands and took a defensive stance.

A low chuckle seemed to echo around the vast library. From the shadows, Lucius Malfoy emerged, his black robes camouflaging him in the semi-darkness. A thousand things came to Hermione's mind, things she dearly wanted to say to her future father-in-law. She remained silent.

"I have been rolling these thoughts around in my mind," Lucius remarked, taking a few steps forward, "as to why you, Miss Granger, are so unwilling to marry my son. Surely he's not so bad."

He was being polite, Hermione realized. To make an outburst at this time would just fuel him. Well, two could play at that game…

Hermione lowered her wand a few inches. "Mr. Malfoy… what a pleasure to know you've been secretly stalking me these past few weeks." She forced a convincing smile.

Lucius inclined his head a little, the traditional Malfoy smirk breaking across his face like a wave. "I want only the best for my son and heir."

"That is perfectly understandable," she falsely agreed, "and what have you discovered?"

Lucius fixed his eyes on his son's fiancé, a manic glint in his eye. Hermione suddenly realized she was very afraid of him. Beside her, Ginny's wand hand twitched violently. Hermione stayed her ground.

"Several things," he murmured dangerously, closing in a little more of the gap between them. The two girls were backed against the bookshelf. "But what, may I ask, would a young woman such as yourself need polyjuice potion for?"

He was trying to intimidate her – but it wouldn't work. Hermione squared her shoulders and asked in reply, "May I ask what a man such as yourself could possibly need thestral hoof enamel for?"

Lucius immediately dropped his pleasant manner, becoming instantly hostile: "You're an insolent little wretch. You're lucky I need you, or else I would have you killed, do you understand that?"

Hermione opened her mouth, then promptly closed it again. She wanted dearly to retort, and her head was bursting with things to say; But being offensive when Lucius was this angry was not a smart idea at all.

"Father, now that's no way to treat family…"

The voice came from right beside Hermione, nearly making her jump out of her skin. Ginny covered up a soft scream of surprise, trying to pass it off unsuccessfully as a cough. Hermione hadn't even heard Draco enter the room, let alone make his way over. His voice sounded like velvet in the dark.

Lucius showed no sign of surprise to find his son there. "Draco, I'm surprised. I'd convinced myself your behavior was better than this."

"And I'd convinced myself you were more polite than to treat your future daughter-in-law like a common Muggle off the street," Draco retorted, never for an instant losing his cool.

Hermione felt a sudden rush of relief. She didn't feel so much like a cornered mouse in front of a cat anymore, now that Draco was there. It was an odd feeling, and not one she was accustomed to associating with Draco.

Lucius's eyes narrowed, "To bed, all of you. This wedding will happen, I can promise you. Draco, escort Miss Granger and the Weasley girl back to their room. Afterwards, I want to see you."

With one last look at the trio, Lucius quit the room; The feeling of tension remained.

"Hrmph… 'Weasley girl'…" Ginny muttered, tucking her wand away indignantly.

"Thank you," Hermione muttered.

"Sure," Draco mumbled in reply.

The room was silent for a minute. "Are you going to tell him about the book?" Ginny finally asked.

"Oh, right." Hermione bent down to pick up the old volume from where she'd dropped it in surprise. Flipping through the old tome, Hermione finally found the page Ginny had pointed out. She handed the book to Draco, whose eyes quickly scanned the page.

Without changing his expression, Draco closed the book. "That goes right along with what I've discovered. I did some of my own research on Baxter. She's apparently the only known person in the world who can create prophecies at will, to a certain extent. She can't determine the specifics of the prophecy, but she can create an outcome… in the past, she's taken money bribes to create prophecies. Some of her other powers include turning the dead into ghosts and creating new life. I was actually on my way here to do some final research."

"Draco," Hermione said deliberately, "if we could just get some polyjuice potion… one of us could…"

"No," Draco interrupted, "we couldn't. My father made sure all the potions we might find of use in this house have been destroyed. I've already checked the stocks – there's nothing."

There was more silence, which was broken by Ginny, "Well, now what?"

"Now, we go to bed," Draco answered. His voice had a resigned note of impending doom in it, "We have a big day tomorrow."

"You're giving up?" Ginny demanded, indignant.

"Yes, Weasley. I'm giving up!" Draco flared. "We've tried nearly everything at this point, and nothing has worked. We're dealing with supernatural forces and the inevitable power of money and cunning. The ceremony is in less than 24 hours and we - have - nothing."

The finality and powerlessness of his words made Ginny turn her face away: She had never seen Draco Malfoy, a bully and a snot, act this way – so beaten and down. It was disconcerting.

"No," Hermione muttered, "I don't want to give up."

Draco rolled his eyes, "It's over, Granger. We're getting married tomorrow, whether we like it or not."

Hermione glared at him. In the light of the oil lamps, Draco thought her eyes looked red, as if overcome by some sort of bloodlust, made all the deadlier by the perfection of the rest of her face. Such smooth cheeks, slightly rosy with the passion of her unexpected encounter… her lips, like marks on a piece of sheet music, but temptingly pink…

What was he thinking…?

"I'll take you to your room," Draco muttered, tearing his eyes away.

Neither Hermione nor Ginny answered him. He opened the library door and stood aside for them to file out before escorting them back to their shared bedroom.

It was only her bedroom for one more night, Draco realized upon reaching the door. A lump rose in his throat, as though his Adam's apple was attempting to grasp freedom.

"Good night." Hermione's voice sounded so far away to Draco's ears.

There she was, standing by the door, her face looking at him indirectly and her body turned toward the door. A beam of moonlight was playing like still water on the carpeted hallway, bathing her in luminescence.

"Good night," he replied, also in that far-away voice, like something out of a fairy tale.

She turned the knob on the door and let Ginny in first before disappearing, herself. Draco stared at the door for a moment and turned on his heel for the east parlor.

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Author's Note: I thought it we were all well-due for a nice long post with lots of stuff happening in it! So there you go.

Thank you to theworstwitch, MyLookOfDenial., GoodCharlotte615, 1216, brooklynsam3, and RIPJameSiriusLupinTrueMarauder for reviewing! Love you guys!

theworstwitch - Thank you!! I'm glad you're enjoying everything so far!

An update on my daughter, Lira: She had to have a surgery where they put pins in her elbow to keep it stable, but the doctors said it was necessary to make sure her arm heals the right way. Course now I get to spend more time at home with my brood, which is nice, however bittersweet. Keep your kids away from jungle gyms! I'm kidding, of course. I played on them as a child, and I fully well know it's all up to chance. But all the same, be careful on them!