Chapter 7
She was back. As Draco walked into the Great Hall that morning, the first thing he saw was Bell, and she was talking to Potter. If she remembered a single detail about her attack or the fact that it was Rosemerta who gave her the necklace in the first place, then everything was ruined. If Rosemerta's cover was blown, then it was only a matter of time before it was traced back to him. Once the Imperius spell he placed upon her had been broken, then she would reveal the truth about what had happened. If he got expelled now, then everything he had been trying to accomplish over the last few months would go to waste. He would go home and have to face the Dark Lord, who would certainly have his head.
He turned to leave. He had to get ready to leave the school. He needed to go prepare his things, so he could leave in the night. He knew that Snape would be able to help him get out of the school unnoticed, and for that he was glad. He caught Blaise and Theo's eyes and he gave them a look as Draco walked out the door at a rapid pace, hoping to leave before anyone had seen him. The two of them knew what would happen, and they immediately stood up from where they were sitting. Theo and Blaise headed off towards the Room of Requirement, to try and hide any evidence of what Draco had been doing in there.
They had discussed this. If anything of this magnitude had come to pass, then there were precautions that would need to come to pass. While it wasn't set in stone that he needed to leave yet, it was always better to be prepared. That would allow for him to be able to leave whenever the need would arise, should it be today, tomorrow, or even months from now. But they would be ready, no matter what. While there were already certain measures taken up, Draco knew it never hurt to take extra precautions. If there was one thing he had learned from his father, it was to always cover up one's tracks. That way, nothing can be traced back to you.
Draco loosened his tie nervously. It felt like it was strangling him, and taking all the breath from his lungs. Damn the tie. He quickened his pace, heading to the prefects' bathroom. He needed a sanctuary where he could be alone, and it was the first place he could think of. He needed to talk to someone, anyone. But he could not let anyone know of the self-doubt that he was currently facing. But that didn't mean that he couldn't talk to someone who weren't alive. He needed to find Myrtle.
In the months leading up to today, he had been to see her several times. And true to her word, she had not once leaked a bit of information. While she still had no idea what it was that he had to do, she knew many other things about him. She knew of the years of abuse he had received at home in hopes to mold him into the perfect heir. She knew of the strain on is family now that his father was temporarily out of the picture. While she didn't know the things he had done or had to do, she knew more intimate details of his life. She knew more about him than his own mother, and Morgana knew his mother was a nosy woman.
Hermione turned to see who Harry had turned to glare at. His conversation had been clipped short from talking to Katie. When she turned, she saw Malfoy standing in the door. He turned to flee from the room, and Hermione could guess why. It was fair to say that he did indeed have something to do with Katie's attack, and was worried about being found out.
She grabbed Harry's arm to stop him from following.
"Let me go Hermione," Harry said, struggling to get out of her grip. "You know it just as well as I do. Malfoy did this and I want to find out why. Let me go after him Hermione!"
"No," she said calmly. When she saw that he wanted to argue with her, she continued. "Harry, you'll let your anger get in the way. It won't end well if you go after him, and then we'll never get any information. Let me go and talk to him. Maybe I will have a better effect."
"Hermione, you know what he thinks of you. And you have seen for yourself what he's capable of doing. Do you think it is the safest thing for you to go after him?" he asked her softly.
"Harry, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. And I know the risks involved with going after him. I know how dangerous it could be. But let me go talk to him. If we're right about Myrtle conversing with him-"
Harry cut her off. "All we know is she has been talking to some boy, Hermione.
A couple of weeks back, the trio had run into Moaning Myrtle. As usual, she was moping on about her death, but something about what she said left Hermione feeling confused. She had told them how the 'boy' would talk to her and tell her of the horrid things that he had to deal with in his life. At first Hermione had thought that the boy was some first year, affected by the war raging outside the castle. It was fairly common for first year muggleborns to be affected. But the more Myrtle talked about the boy, the more she thought she was talking about Draco Malfoy.
Harry didn't buy it of course, and neither did Ron. The two of them didn't seem to think that he was capable of feeling remorse, or even fear. In their eyes, he was a lousy ferret. And she did not blame either of them. Malfoy had never been pleasant to them at school, and she hadn't expected that to change anytime soon. It was only logical that they would be sceptical. When Hermione had asked Myrtle about her suspicious, the usually gossiping ghost shut her mouth and floated off. How was it that the ghost who loved to create as much drama as possible, was perfectly fine just leaving in the middle of the conversation? Something was off about it.
Harry and Ron just dismissed her theories, but something about listening to Myrtle speak about it made her suspicious. But she did have to admit that something about it felt off. In all the years that she had known him, he had never been one to show any sort of weakness. And what were the chances that one of the biggest Voldemort sympathisers at the school would be talking to a mudblood ghost, who was personally taken care of, by none other than Voldemort himself? It did seem highly unlikely. In spite of all of this, her gut instinct was telling her that it was him who she was talking about.
And because of that feeling, she started questioning everything she knew. What if it was him? Maybe he didn't want to go through all of this. Maybe he was being forced. She hated to admit it, but ever since that night where he had sat with her in their classroom, without once mocking her, she had begun to think of him in a different light. He was just another boy, who grew up in more unfortunate of circumstances than herself. And maybe he could be saved. She owed it to him to at least try. And because of that, she would do everything she could to save him.
"Hermione, I don't like this," Harry said wearily. "I know you're capable of many things. And Merlin forbid I ever be forced to be on the other end of your wand pointed at me. But I don't trust him. I don't want you alone with him." Hermione was about to interrupt him, but he raised his hand. "However, I do trust you to get out of there if you feel endangered. Hermione, if I don't see you in twenty minutes, then I'm coming in. And by Godric, if he touches a single hair on your head, then I will kill him."
"I'll be safe Harry. I promise. And I'll let him know he has you to answer to, should anything come to pass.
She gave him a smile, and looked over at Ron. He had been fairly quiet over the entire ordeal, and wanted to see what he had to say. He was staring off into space, and when Hermione followed his glance, she saw him staring at Lavender Brown. How typical. She found herself gain a twinge of jealously at the sight. The two were still going out, even after the entire hospital event. Ron had apologised profoundly and Lavender didn't put up too much of a fight. It annoyed her slightly. Just when she thought she was closer to getting to be with Ron, he went and turned the tables once more.
Rolling her eyes, she turned to follow Draco. She hoped the boy hadn't gotten too far, or it would be nearly impossible to find him. She hurried out the door and saw the blonde hair disappear around the corner. It wasn't long before she realised where he was heading.
"Draco, I see you've returned," Myrtle said, attempting to sound bored, when in fact her voice was filled with anything but.
On any other day, he would have smirked. But he didn't quite feel up to it. He was tired and he needed to talk to her, without any humour.
"Myrtle, I might need to leave," Draco said quietly.
She spoke back quickly, "You mean the bathroom?" she asked, sounding a bit worried.
"The school Myrtle. And I don't know when I can return back, if ever," he said softly.
"Why? What has happened?" she demanded. "What could cause you to have to leave this school, and leave everyone behind?"
From her voice he could tell that she could not care about the other people he would have to leave, but her. It pained him to tell her, not because of any romantic feelings, but due to the fact that he genuinely enjoyed talking to her. She had listened to endless rambles about him, and he had returned the favour as well. He hated feeling so vulnerable, like his entire life hung on the line, and if Katie Bell remembered anything, then it would tip over the balance. He had found solace in Moaning Myrtle, as strange as that may be, but it was at the point where he needed her.
"I've done something, and because of it, I could be endangering everyone I care for. I need to leave before it gets to that point," he said sadly.
"Don't," she said softly, her voice whimpering in angst. "Draco, don't leave. You're the first friend I've had in so long. How could I get by without you?"
"I don't know what else to do Myrtle. I don't have any other choices! The only thing I can do is leave and hope that he will have mercy on my soul," he said, shaking. He spoke so quickly and rashly that Draco forgot that she didn't know about Voldemort. If she noticed, she didn't say anything. He hoped that she would just write it off, to think that it was something that his father would threaten him with.
"There is something you can do," a voice called out softly from behind him. However it was not from the person he expected.
He spun around rapidly, to see Granger standing in the doorway. How did she get in? He was certain that he had locked the door, but perhaps it wasn't as carefully as he had initially thought it to be. He drew out his wand protectively, but she did not do the same. Upon further inspection, he saw that she was unarmed. He lowered his arm slightly, but still kept it at a reasonable height, just in case.
"I'm not here to fight you Malfoy," Granger said softly. "I'm not here to pose a threat to you. I simply want to offer you my help." She nodded at Myrtle to acknowledge the ghost.
Sensing the two of them wanted to discuss this privately, Myrtle floated through the floor. Draco was grateful to her. The last thing he needed was to ruin another good thing in his life. Once she found out, then she would leave him, like the rest of them.
"And why would I want that?" he sneered. "Just like I told Potter, I don't need you, nor do I need him."
"I know you're lying Draco. You hate being a part of it don't you? You have some sort of task from Voldemort, and you don't want to do it. But he's threatening someone isn't he? He usually does. And because of that, you have to go through with this. But there's more to it Draco; you don't have to do whatever it is that he wants you to do. You can get out."
He snarled at her, "What do you know Mudblood?" When he saw that his words didn't affect her, he kept going, "Don't pretend you know me or anything about me. You have no idea what I'm going through, nor do you care. You simply want to get one up on him. And if that means thawing my plan, then you will. But let me tell you this Granger. I will succeed. Not because failure isn't an option, but because I am strong enough to go through with this. And nothing you do or say can change that," he said, glaring at the witch.
Draco tried to storm past her, but she stood blocking the door way. "Let me leave Granger," he commanded.
"No. Not until you at least give what I have to say a decent chance," she said stubbornly, holding her ground and his gaze.
"Granger, get out of the way!" he shouted.
"No Malfoy. Now you listen to me. I don't want you to go through with this. Not because I want to 'get one up on him', but because I don't think that it's you. Now before you go and stop me, listen well. You are capable of many things Draco, and whatever this is, I'm sure you can. But you haven't yet, not because I don't think you can do, but because I know you don't want to. It's been months since the school year has started. I think you're procrastinating because you don't want to do it. You are not a bad person Draco. You could do so much good in the world; you have so much to offer. So why do you want to throw it all away? I'm not going to beg you Draco. If you turn me away today, then I will tell Harry to drop it as well. The two of us will give up on you and move on. And once Harry defeats Voldemort, and make no mistake he will defeat him, Harry will take down anyone else who stands in his way. And if that includes you, then it's your funeral. But think of all you could do to help. Think of the changes you could bring. I hate giving up on people, and maybe I trust far too easily. But I see goodness in your eyes Draco. I know you can be a good person, if you want to be. So now it's up to you to choose your allegiance."
He looked at her, his mouth slightly ajar from stunned silence. After regaining his composer and taking in all he had to say, he spoke, "And what makes you think that I am capable of anything good. I've never done anything that comes close to constituting kindness. Why would you care so much what happens to me, after all I've done to you over the years? I find it hard to believe that you have no ulterior motives involved Granger, and to be frank, it makes me sceptical. How do I know that you're not waiting for some sort of confession from me, and then you send me off to Azkaban? And why would you think that I don't want to do this? Maybe I enjoy this sort of thing. Maybe it's my secret guilty pleasure."
She gave him a smile, "Maybe you do Draco. Maybe you do. But I don't think that's you. I think you are a much better person than you give yourself credit for. And I think that if you gave yourself a chance, you would see it as well. As for the prior question, I give you my word. If you choose to join our cause, then you will be offered full immunity. We will give your mother safety as well as your father, should they choose to accept it."
"Why?" he asked simply.
"Why what?" she asked him confused.
"Why are you willing to do this for me? After everything I have done to you over the years; after all the name calling and hexing, why are you so certain that I am a good person? What if I'm simply as lousy as you perceived me to be originally?"
She was silent for a while, and Draco wasn't entirely certain that she would respond to the question that he posed for her. But finally she did.
"Because of that night when I was crying. You came in and sat beside me, even when I knew you wanted to be alone to your thoughts. But you didn't try and insult me to make me leave, or mock me once you knew the source of my pain. Instead you sat there in silence and allowed me to have my space. Draco, you are not a bad person. And if you let us, then we can help you."
His mouth hardened slightly, and he knew the words he uttered next would forever change his life. "Okay, I'll join your cause. I want full immunity for my mother. But I am not certain that my father will want to change his alliances. He is very set on his path and in his beliefs."
She gave him a bright smile, "I'm glad that you've changed your mind Draco. Now, Harry is going to get worried, so if you don't mind, could we go see him and Professor Dumbledore? I would like to inform him about your change of heart."
He nodded silently, feeling shocked with his choice. Yes, he had been toying with the idea for a little while now but it was never anything concrete. As he followed behind her, at a slower pace so people would not suspect anything, he shook his head. He stared at the figure in front of him, knowing that she was responsible for this sudden change. Merlin help him, for Hermione Granger would probably be the death of him.