Disclaimer: Meh, still not mine.
A/N: And, I'm back! Here's the next chapter of Only a Pretense. Please review afterwards. Do enjoy!
Chapter Nineteen: How to be a Death Eater
Hermione was strolling along an empty corridor, her expression a mixture of confusion and worry. A fortnight had already passed ever since Draco discovered her true identity and accepted it. But then, as more days passed by, she noticed some weird behaviors manifested by her Housemates.
It was minute at first. Hermione actually believed that it had something to do with stress and whatnot. Teddy was noticeably more somber than before. He rarely cracked any jokes and if he did, they were worse than Ron's own jokes. And that was saying something.
Blaise, on the other hand, had a permanent frown visible on his face. He was cranky, for goodness' sake. The sweet and kind Blaise Zabini she always saw in the Slytherin common room seemed changed. When asked by the brunette, he blamed it on stress and the fact that their new practice tests were looming. And Hermione, ever the innocent one, believed him.
And then there was Draco Malfoy… Ever since he discovered that she was Hermione Granger, he started to cease his insults and mockeries. Instead, he would say a teasing remark and Hermione, amused, would answer a witty comeback. But then, she had noticed that he seemed more stressed out than before, even more stressed than Blaise, and it had greatly worried her. There were times when she caught him looking thoughtfully on his left arm, then to both Blaise and Teddy, before catching himself and looking away. His actions were bizarre and Hermione wanted to badly ask him what was wrong, but she never found the opportunity to interrogate him.
And now, she was walking in an empty corridor, determined to reach her destination unnoticed. Just this morning, Professor Dumbledore had given her an unsigned letter, stating that she should meet him in the Headmaster's Office thirty minutes past curfew. Judging by his hasty letter, Hermione assumed that their meeting was urgent.
As soon as her three roommates grew dead to the world, she sneaked out of the Slytherin common room and hastily went to Dumbledore's office.
Finally, she arrived at the gargoyle statue that guarded the Headmaster's Office.
"Vanilla Surprise," she murmured. The statue sprang into life and made way for the brunette. The wall opened into two, revealing the moving staircase, and Hermione jumped on it and was soon brought up.
She stepped out of the staircase and gingerly knocked on the oak-wooden door separating her from Professor Dumbledore. She distinctly heard a soft 'come in', which she followed, and soon, she found herself once again inside the Headmaster's room.
Nothing changed at all, she reckoned. Everything seemed on their right places the last time she visited Dumbledore's office.
"Miss Granger, please take a seat," Dumbledore said, drawing Hermione's eyes towards him.
The brunette frowned upon seeing the Headmaster's face. He, like her other Slytherin Housemates, seemed stressed out over something she could not understand. Dumbledore looked older than his supposed age. A question was bubbling at the tip of her tongue but she clamped her lips shut and merely sat down on the chair opposite her teacher.
"Lemon Drops?" he offered, which Hermione politely declined. She had been eating Lemon Drops given to her by Teddy and she was so sick of it already.
She then expectantly looked at Dumbledore, waiting for him to explain the reason for this urgent meeting. Hermione allowed him to put his desk in order first, stacking papers and aligning quills here and there. Finally, the silence seemed unbearable to her already.
"Is there something you want, Professor?" she asked as politely as she could. "It's been weeks ever since you asked me to come and meet you."
Dumbledore sighed and removed his half-moon spectacles. He gingerly cleaned the glasses with the hem of his sleeves before perching it back on his crooked nose. His electric blue orbs then met Hermione, seriousness written all over his face. "How are you, Miss Granger?"
Hermione frowned. 'Surely, he never asked me to meet him at the middle of the night just so he could ask me that, right?' she asked herself. Instead of voicing out her opinion, Hermione merely shrugged and answered, "Never been better, Headmaster. Although, I must confess, I am a little stressed out, seeing that the teachers are going to give us another batch of practice tests."
"I apologize for being bothersome and depriving you a few moments of studying for your tests, Miss Granger. But this meeting is of extreme importance and I cannot wait for another time to inform you some news I had gathered from our faithful spies," he said.
'Spies?' she asked, worry becoming evident on her face. Spies, meaning, Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy. "Is something the matter, sir?" Hermione was slightly leaning towards the desk now, alarmed. "Did… something happen to my… pa-parents?"
Horror settled at the pit of her stomach. If it was truly something about her parents, then she'd rather not hear about it right there and then.
To her immense relief, Dumbledore shook his head for his reply. "No, no, Miss Granger. You're parents, although they are not in good hands, are still alive. You should keep in mind that if Voldemort killed your parents, then he'd lost an extremely valuable weapon against us."
"Then… what? What is the reason why I'm here, Professor?" she asked, her worry slightly diminishing.
Dumbledore once again sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "According to Severus, Tom is once again recruiting new Death Eaters to join his followers. The initiation day will happen a week from now."
Hermione instantly paled. She unconsciously balled both of her hands into fists. "Recruiting… Death Eaters?" she asked breathlessly. Both knew of her unspoken understanding.
It was time for her to be one - to be a Death Eater.
The brunette had almost forgotten that she was not only supposed to be a Slytherin. She needed to be a Death Eater, too. In order to save her parents, she had to risk more.
When Harry told her ages ago that Voldemort would be possibly recruiting new Death Eaters, she was positively thrilled. It meant that she was closer to saving her parents. But now… now that Dumbledore was telling her that a week from now she could make or break her purpose, she felt downright dreadful.
"Yes, Miss Granger," Dumbledore tiredly answered. "And I fully remember that you voiced out your plea to become one."
Hermione nervously gulped and refused to stare straight at Dumbledore. 'Is that the reason why almost all of my Housemates are behaving so oddly these past few weeks? Is that the reason why Teddy and Blaise seemed so out-of-character?' Deep down, she knew the answer.
The disguised brunette then looked up once again and met Dumbledore's eyes. "Will Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini join, too?" she asked, dreading his answer.
Her heart plummeted to the ground when the Headmaster nodded his head for confirmation. "According to young Mister Malfoy's report, a quarter of the seventh year Slytherins, including some of the fifth and sixth year students, are hoping to be part of Voldemort's Death Eaters."
"Fifth years?" she asked in surprised. "But they are so… young."
"Miss Granger, do remember that we are talking about Purebloods here," Dumbledore said. "Age does not matter when it comes to serving their so-called lord. It is indeed horrible, but being part of his ranks is an honor to them."
A slight wave of nausea washed over her form and she had to rub her temples just so she could calm herself down.
"You are to accompany Mister Malfoy and the others to the Death Eater's lair and be initiated as one," he continued. It was evident that he had to struggle to say all those words to the brunette.
Hermione, not trusting herself to speak, merely nodded.
"Are you all right, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked. When she did not answer, he sighed. "You still have a choice, my dear student. You can back out, if you must. I am a selfish Headmaster and I want all of my students to be safe from harm. But I cannot stop the others, Miss Granger. It's beyond my control. It is their family's choice. But you… you can still back out."
The brunette vigorously shook her head, eyes imploring. "You know I can't, Professor," she said, although her voice was lacking conviction. "This is the only way I can truly save my parents. And you know that. I… I have to do this. I'm aware that this is extremely dangerous, sir, and if I were to fail, I might… die. But this is my only chance."
Dumbledore sighed tiredly once again. It seemed like he was awfully sighing once Hermione Granger became a disguised student. "If you must, Miss Granger, then I am afraid I cannot stop you anymore," he said in defeat. "Although, please take note that I am strongly against this."
"I'm not asking you to agree with me," she said. "All I'm asking for you is to trust me, Headmaster. I am the smartest witch of my age, for goodness' sake! I can do this!"
The old man chuckled and shook his head in disbelief. "Whatever you say, Miss Granger. Whatever you say."
His grandfather clock rang all over his office as soon as it turned midnight.
"I believe I have kept you a bit too long than what I had initially planned," he said, slowly rising up from his seat. Hermione followed suit and was soon on her feet. "It is best if you returned to your common room now. Goodnight, Miss Granger."
Hermione inclined her head for a bit. "Goodnight to you, too, Professor. And thank you for your news. It had helped me." Upon receiving a nod of thanks from the old man, she turned around and walked out of the Headmaster's Office, leaving an extremely worried professor.
"I just hope that all things will end well, Miss Granger," he whispered to the air, before turning around and leaving for his quarters.
"Psst… Psst, Malfoy! Psst!"
Draco's head snapped up, alarmed, and looked around the library. He spotted the familiar brunette hair of his roommate, Hermes Austen, whom he discovered was actually Hermione Granger in disguise. He rolled his eyes, looked back at his Transfiguration textbook, and ignored the annoying nuisance.
"Psst… Malfoy! Merlin, psst!"
"What do you want?" he snarled furiously, glaring at the sheepish brunette. "Can't you see I'm studying?"
Hermione rubbed the back of her neck and looked around. "Are you here with someone? Is Teddy or Blaise with you?" she asked, a little apprehensive.
"I'm talking with my imaginary friend, Jim… No, Austen, I'm perfectly alone. Can't you see? Now leave me alone so that I can study in peace." Once again, Draco looked away from Hermione and back to his textbook. Unbeknownst to him, a small smirk was tugging at the corner of his mouth.
The blond pretended to read for a bit. He was distracted as soon as he saw his wimpy roommate. He felt strangely pleased once he heard her familiar footsteps. The chair across from him scraped against the stone floor of the library and soon, Hermione Granger was plopped on it and was looking at him seriously.
Draco feigned irritation and sighed, looking up from his book. "What do you want, Granger?" he asked.
Hermione grew alarmed and was whipping her head right and left. Upon seeing that he was not heard, she looked back at Malfoy and glared. "Don't call me that when we're in public places, Malfoy," she reprimanded. "Actually, don't call me that at all. We can't risk anyone discovering my secret now, can we?"
He rolled his eyes and waved a dismissive hand before returning back to his book. But then, Hermione ripped the book away from him and gently placed it on her lap, away from the blond.
The blond looked at her irritably. "What do you want, Austen?" he snarled, eyeing his Transfiguration book witheringly. He knew he couldn't look at his book properly for weeks, knowing that it came in contact with the brunette's thighs…
He scowled darkly and hid his blush away from Hermione. Ever since he discovered her true identity, his imagination seemed working overdrive once again. Goddamn it, even his testosterones. Sure, she looked perfectly boyish to him, albeit an effeminate one, but knowing that she was Hermione Granger, the Hermione Granger, his hormones seemed ecstatic.
"Look, Malfoy, I need to talk to you. And this is extremely urgent," she hushed frantically, snapping Draco off his musings.
She was apprehensive, he noticed, and soon he was seriously looking directly at her. "Spit it out," he said, frowning. "Judging by that weird expression of yours, this thing is bothering you."
Hermione sighed and massaged her temples before looking back at the blond. She made sure that no one was there to eavesdrop. She then leaned slightly forward. "I heard your Dark Lord will be recruiting new Death Eaters next week."
Draco's jaw dropped and his eyes enlarged. He frantically looked around, a crazed look on his face, before settling back on he brunette. "Where the hell did you hear that?" he hissed, his hand involuntarily shooting up towards Hermione and tightly gripping her right wrist.
"Malfoy, I know, remember? I told you on the day that you confronted me," she assured him, absentmindedly patting his suddenly clammy hand enclosing her wrist. "I know what you are and I know what you've become." She flinched when his eyes darkened and his hold tightened. "Dumbledore told me."
His grip slackened and Hermione immediately pulled her nearly injured wrist away. Draco looked murderous and she was afraid that if she provoked him more, she would be the receiving end of his wand.
"That old nincompoop," he growled darkly whilst gritting his teeth. "I perfectly told him not to tell anyone, except Uncle Severus."
To her surprise, she managed to smile. "Guess we're even now, huh? You, knowing my true identity and me, knowing where you're true loyalty lie…"
"Don't say that when we're in public places!" he exclaimed, mimicking what she had told him a while ago. Hermione only smirked and shrugged.
Draco heaved a huge sigh and shook his head. "I don't even know why he told you that, of all people," he said in disbelief.
The brunette merely waved her hand dismissively. Then, Hermione's face grew serious and her voice dropped a few more octaves. "So, he's really recruiting new followers, right?"
The blond looked at her in contemplation. She seemed determined and nervous at the same time. But because of what? "So what if he is?" he asked, slightly frowning. "It's none of your business."
"It is," she insisted.
"What?" he asked. His eyebrows slowly joined together in confusion. "Why?"
Hermione heaved a huge sigh this time and placed her chin on top of her hand. "I told you I have to save my parents, didn't I?" she asked and he nodded in confirmation. "That's not the end of it, Malfoy. I just didn't disguise myself to become a Slytherin. There's more reason to it."
Draco bit his lip. He had a slightly inkling feeling where their conversation would be going.
"I'm planning to be a Death Eater myself." She said it so softly Draco had to strain his ears just so he could hear it. But once her uttered words reached his ears, he pulled back not-so-gently and his chair toppled on the floor.
The brunette looked at him, surprised. The murderous look on his face came back once again. She watched as he calmed himself down by taking a few deep breaths before righting his toppled chair and sitting on it again.
"Stop joking around, Austen. This isn't a joking matter," he hissed, annoyed.
"I'm not joking," she protested, equally annoyed herself. "Malfoy, it had been my plan all along. Dumbledore and Harry knew all about this."
"And they agreed?" he asked. Hermione was surprised when his face morphed from being murderous to disgust.
She vigorously shook her head. "No, no, I can't say that they fully concurred," she said. "But what can they do? This is my plan and no one's going to stop me."
Draco rolled his eyes. "Typical," he spat. Upon seeing her affronted look, he glared. "Granger," he continued, forgetting that she perfectly told him not to call her that in public, "this is dangerous. Being a Death Eater is dangerous."
Her face hardened. "I know that," she said, running a hand through her boyish hair. "Of course, I know that. And I just told you to stop calling me… that when we're in public!"
The blond ignored her last comment. "This isn't a simple matter," he added. "I mean, you can't just decide to be one with just a snap of your fingers. I was destined to be one, ever since. Theo and Blaise were destined to be one. Almost all of the Slytherins were destined to be one. But not you… not you, Austen."
"I'll learn to be one," she claimed, a stubborn pout on her face. "I'll train hard and… and know more information about this so-called Death Eaters."
Draco, to her surprise, released a hollow laugh. "Austen, you can't just learn to be one in a span of a week. There's no book entitled 'How to be a Death Eater' written by the Dark Bastard himself so that anyone can just read it if they feel like they wanted to become one." He shook his head. "No, you have to be constantly reminded by someone that you are supposed to be one ever since you were small. You have to be brainwashed and such at a very young age to fully follow that bloody monster and become a Death Eater once you grow up."
Hermione would be lying if she would say she was not astonished with Draco Malfoy's little speech. It was clear that it was dripping with sarcasm, insulting his supposedly 'lord'. But then, she remembered what he had said… Was it really true that he, Teddy, Blaise, and the other Slytherins were destined to be one once they grew up?
Pity bubbled at the pit of her stomach and she turned her face away from Draco. What if they did not want to be a Death Eater once they grow up? What if they wanted to pursue their own fate and not follow the footsteps of their parents, who blindly followed Voldemort's sick ideology?
Her mind strayed to her roommates. What would happen to them if they became Death Eaters? Would Teddy still be his typical adorable self? Would Blaise still be kind and charming?
Her eyes wandered back on Malfoy. He had changed, she reckoned, ever since their sixth year began – the year when she discovered that Draco Malfoy had been made into a Death Eater by Voldemort. He seemed… lifeless. She remembered those haunting grey eyes, those empty laughs he released… his hopelessness. Did he really want to be a Death Eater himself?
Strangely, she started to grow fearful. Would she change, too, if she became a Death Eater? Would she be brainwashed, like the other Slytherins, to hate Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore? Would she be able to hang-out with her Gryffindor friends and fight for things she believed in?
'Get a grip of yourself, Hermione Granger!' she scolded herself. 'This is for the sake of your parents! It's too late to back-out now. Stop being so selfish!'
"I…" she started. Draco's eyes locked with hers and she held it unwaveringly. "I… want to become one, Malfoy. No, I have to becomeone."
Draco held her gaze for a few more minutes, before breaking their staring contest. He flashed a humored smirk and shook his head. "There's a reason why Ol' Voldie is wary of recruiting Gryffindors, you know. They might start some uprisings and such with their stubbornness." He sighed and ran a hand through his blond hair. "Anything for your parents, huh?"
Hermione vigorously nodded her head. "Anything for them," she said.
He gazed at her calculatingly before sighing once again. "Fine," he said, although he seemed reluctant. "If you want to be one, then be prepared on Saturday at exactly ten o'clock in the evening. I was assigned to lead all those who wished to be Death Eaters to our Headquarters."
The brunette nodded once again, a smile now on her face. "Thank you, Draco Malfoy," she said, in which he merely answered with a wave of his hand.
"I'm not going to ask anymore why you are willing to sacrifice even your innocence, Granger," he said, ignoring her sudden glare.
"This is no biggie compared to sacrificing my identity and femininity, Malfoy," she shot back. "I mean, I had to watch my own funeral, for goodness' sake!"
Draco chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Just do remember that you might forget who you truly are once you become a Death Eater, Austen," he said, now a bit seriously.
Hermione, for some reason, was compelled to ask him a question. "If… that is true," she started, "then who is the true you? Who is the true Draco Malfoy?"
He seemed surprised with her question. Once again, he gave her a calculating look before giving her a wry smile. "You know what? Even I do not know him anymore."
Her mouth slightly opened with his surprising answer. 'Did he just say that?' she asked herself, now biting her bottom lip.
She was not given any chance to delve deeper on his answer once the bell signaling curfew rang loudly all over the library. Draco gathered all of his things on top of the table and dumped them messily inside his bag. "Better get going if you don't want to clean the trophy room, Austen." And with that, he ran out of the library.
Hermione stayed for a few more minutes before standing up, and leisurely strolled back to their common room.
After their conversation today, it made Hermione feel weird that she was starting to see Draco Malfoy in a new light.
"Odd," she said, before shaking her head and continuing her journey back to the common room in silence.
Harry sighed for the umpteenth time and Hermione was getting sick of it. "Stop it, will you?" she snarled, although her voice was lacking her desired frustration.
Once again, they were in the Room of Requirement. Harry had sent her an urgent letter, telling her to meet with him as soon as possible. Apparently, he had heard about the Death Eater news from Dumbledore and he wanted to hear Hermione's confirmation.
Which she did, and after that, Harry Potter sighed every other minute.
The Gryffindor shifted on the comfortable couch, his body now fully facing Hermione. The brunette could see his imploring eyes… he looked distressed.
He opened his mouth and Hermione waited for him to say anything. But then, he merely closed it once again. He would open and close his mouth again and again and finally, he released a strangled moan before launching himself into Hermione and enveloping her into a very tight hug.
"Listen, Hermione Granger, and listen well," he started seriously. "If something… terrible happens to you – God forbid – I won't hesitate but to tell you a resounding 'I told you so'. And no, you can't fucking stop me. Am I making myself clear?"
This time, it was the brunette incognito who sighed. Trust Harry Potter to curse every time he was in distress. "I understand," she said, rubbing a comforting hand on his back. "I'll take care of myself, Harry. I promise. And besides, Teddy, Blaise, and Malfoy will be with me."
"It's just…" His voice faltered and he released – 'Surprise!' Hermione's mind screamed – another sigh. The-Boy-Who-Lived then released a groan and pulled Hermione away from him, his eyes deeply gazing into hers. His lips curled into a grimace before he released her shoulders, his hands falling limply onto his lap.
"I'm tired," he claimed, gingerly standing up from the couch. "I'm going to bed now, okay? Goodnight, Hermione."
"Harry…"
He raised a hand to stop her. "No, no, I'm thinking irrationally and selfishly now. I'm afraid that if I continued to stay here with you, I'll blurt out stupid things and just hurt your feelings." He turned around and looked squarely in her eyes. Hermione flinched upon seeing the extreme hurt in his emerald orbs. "I just… I just want you back alive, okay, Hermione? And I want you to continue being just the way you are, even if Voldemort is controlling you. Promise me that, please?"
Hermione vigorously nodded her head. "I… I promise, Harry. I promise I'll still be your best friend Hermione Granger after everything's done, okay? Keep that in mind."
Harry nodded once again and bent down to give her a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight," he said once again.
The brunette bid him goodnight herself. Harry walked out of the Room of Requirement to go back to the Gryffindor common room. Hermione followed his lead and walked out of the Room of Requirement, this time to go back to the Slytherin common room.
'Someday,' she firmly told herself. 'Someday, I'll be walking with you back to the Gryffindor common room, Harry Potter. You just wait.'
A/N: Woot, it's done! What do you think? Haha, please tell me in your reviews.
Lol, I received reviews stating that somehow, they wished this was a Teddy/Mione fic instead. As much as I love my adorable Teddy here in this fic, Draco Malfoy will always be number one in my heart – ahem – my Hermione Granger in my fics. BUT, I was bitten by some random plot bunny two or three days ago and again, it's Dramione. And I was thinking of making it a love triangle between the three. My Draco/Hermione/Blaise love triangle waned after I made Teddy Nott for Only a Pretense. So… yeah, I'm still considering it.
Anyway, again, as you've noticed, I didn't post any review responses. I know I'm being monotonous and all but again, school's been hellish. Two more weeks before summer and I cannot WAIT. So, don't worry, review responses will be back soon.
That's it for now, I guess. Again, please review!
With love,
2booklover4
P.S. Oh, right! I just want to thank all those who're still reviewing my other stories, especially "11 Things" and "Married Today". Good god, I finished those fics ages ago but they're still receiving love from you guys. Thank you very much! 2bl4 :p